Breathe Deep For The Coma
by AlinaLotus
Summary: Rosalie departs the Cullens to attain her dream of motherhood any way she can. While she's gone, a new girl moves to Forks, bringing with her a past she's desperately trying to forget. Too bad Kelly's fallen in love with the very thing she's running from.
1. Chapter 1

**Completely AU idea that wouldn't leave me be until I wrote it. So, here goes. Warnings are language, violence, and sexual situations. **

**POV's will vary. If they're unmarked, that's Kelly's point of view. **

**As always, feedback is appreciated. **

I couldn't say my life had been lonely. I suppose I'd never really craved companionship, not like the rest of the people my age. I preferred to be on my own, really. It wasn't that I didn't have things in common with other teenagers; we watched the same movies and liked the same music, had the same arguments with our parents. I wasn't outwardly rude either, and there were girls and boys around me that I had a certain fondness for, but I hardly considered them my friends.

It wasn't until I'd lost everything that I knew what true loneliness was - but I supposed that's how it usually went.

Back then, I was content, really, to live like I had been. My family was small, and though I used to wish for siblings every now and then, all in all it was nice to be the only child. I was lavished with more gifts, attention, and praise than I would have been had there been another kid around, so I was lucky, really. Although it was hard not to be jealous, at times, of the girls at school who had sisters to swap clothes with, or an older brother to look up to. Still, I couldn't say my life was unpleasant.

Except for, you know, the whole massacre thing.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

It was weird-scratch that. It was _scary_ to see Emmett like this. He hadn't cracked that adorable, boyish smile in days, and it was starting to really irritate me. No matter what mood I was in, one grin from my bro and I felt on top of the world. So, needless to say, my anger with Rosalie was increasing almost by the second.

She was...well, in terms the rest of my family was too nice to use, a bitch. She was bent on having a child, especially since during the beginning of this, my hundredth, or so it felt like, junior year a girl in my class-Bella Swan-had gotten knocked up by her Quileute boyfriend and had since relocated to the Reservation and was living, according to most sources, a perfectly happy ever after. Having disliked Bella from the get-go, this had only fueled Rosalie's aggravation, and perhaps this had been the final straw that pushed her off the edge (but really, it wasn't like she had that far to go anyway).

So, selfish as always, Rose up and left us, promising Em to return "someday" with a child, so that their little family would be complete. The thing with Rosalie was that she didn't realize what she had under her nose, not until it was gone.

And between you and me (and Edward...and Jasper. I should probably have told Emmett, too...ah well, he'd get slapped in the face with realization soon enough) Rose was about to lose it all. Forever.

**oooo**

I only had a name to go on, the name of an aunt I hadn't seen since I was a newborn. Maureen Weber, with an address in Forks, Washington. I'd only been to that part of the country once, on a camping trip with my parents and some of their friends, so I really had no idea what to expect. The caseworker for the state (she was my seventh one; kids got knocked around in the system like pool balls) informed me that Maureen and her daughter, Angela, would be picking me up from the Sea-Tac airport and we'd be driving to Forks, to my new home.

"You'll finally be able to have a little quiet. Won't that be nice?" The caseworker simpered. A nice lady, really, but she was weighed down with hundreds of other cases, some better, some worse, than mine, and she had little time for anything else but a few words and a sincerity that may or may not have been faked.

Because I was underage and because of the...unpleasant circumstances of my previous behaviors (I'd tried to runaway from the various foster homes they'd stuck me in while searching for my relatives), the caseworker had been assigned to travel with me until handing me off to my family.

The flight passed, boring as ever, as most flights were. The peanuts and small glass of sprite did little to satisfy any real hunger or thirst. I shuddered as I realized this must have been what _she_ had felt like...one human life was simply not enough to sate the need...

"We're nearly there...do you have your bag?"

I blinked and looked around. The caseworker was leading me down the jetbridge, into the terminal. Sea-Tac, though it was nearing nine in the evening, was crowded and buzzing with noise. I relaxed a little. In the confusion of so many people, had anyone...anything...followed me here, it would be fairly easy to lose them, even if only for a few seconds...

"Ah, there they are!"

But I wasn't looking at my aunt and cousin, who I saw waving enthusiastically out of the corner of my eye. I was looking, with a mixture of horror and fascination, at a group of people so perfectly beautiful it was criminal. A tiny, thin girl with wildly cut hair, a tall blonde boy with a surly expression on his face, as though he detested crowds...and then _him_. Muscular, brown-haired, dimples easily seen from across the room. I couldn't say what drew my gaze to him above the others-they were all the same thing, I knew, knew all too well. The pale skin, the litheness and poise they had even when standing still, their extreme good looks. And yet I noticed something else, too, something about their eyes. Not red, not mad with lust, but a warm brown, like melted caramel.

The tiny girl said something and the two boys laughed. The brown-haired boy flashed a smile, and I felt myself weaken at the sight of it. That was a real smile, I was sure of it. It was adorable and handsome at the same time, the kind of gesture that would make anybody feel welcome, even if the smile wasn't aimed at them. He looked up, then, his eyes meeting mine for a fraction of a second.

That's all it takes, you see, for your world to crumble down around you.

The caseworker tugged on my arm, pulling me toward my aunt. I glanced back, but the boy wasn't looking at me any more, instead focused on two new people to join the group, a man with slicked blond hair and an extremely kind face, and a woman, who though she possessed the same traits of those around her, was much more human, somehow, soft and beautiful and just as kind as the man she held hands with.

I chuckled darkly at how my life was beginning to play out like a second-rate horror film, then turned to greet my new family, my new life.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

It was all bullshit, if you ask me. I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to betray Rose, not like she'd betrayed me. It wasn't like I had, though. All I did was look at that girl. Was smell her.

I guess that's all it takes for your world to crumble down around you.

Alice was annoying about the whole damn thing, big shocker. "She looks nice." She kept saying, "we should introduce ourselves. She's going to Forks. That's Angela Weber, she's in mine and Edward's class."

Jasper shrugged, indifferent either way. He was pissed about being here, because he hated being reminded that he was weak, as he seemed to be much more thirsty than the rest of us around all these humans. He didn't need to worry, though. I'd told him I'd sock him in the face, maybe rip off a limb or two, if he made a move toward anybody.

"She really does look cool." Alice said, looking over one more time at the girl.

She probably was, for all I knew. But more than anything, to me, she looked lonely.

**oooo**

"And this is your room." Angela said, showing me into the room off the front door. "If you don't like it you can change whatever you want. We just figured it'd be nice for you to have your stuff out."

Once the Weber's had been located, I'd shipped most of my stuff out to them, so I didn't have to take ten suite cases full of my bedding, books, and mementos. All in all, it wasn't all that bad. The room wasn't large, but it wasn't tiny, either. A double bed was in the middle of the room, my dark green bedspread and sheets neatly made up. There was a small desk, empty at the moment, a shelving unit mounted to the wall that held all my books, and all of my clothes had been hung up in the small closet. There was a window, too, net curtains allowing a the light from the street lamp to filter in.

"Thanks." I said, not sure how to respond. It'd been a long time since anybody had done something for me.

Angela smiled. "No problem. Tomorrow I'll take you around town, if you want. And on Monday, well we have some classes together, so I'll do my best to show you around school. You can meet my friends, they're really great, I think you'll like them!"

I shrugged. "We'll see." I said noncommittally. It wasn't that I was ungrateful for Angela's kindness or willingness, not by any means. It was that I was angry, unimaginably so, with myself, irritated and despite my past, despite the nightmares, curious.

_Goddamn vampires_, I thought, following Angela down to the kitchen, where Maureen had set a late dinner on the table. For once, though, I wasn't thinking of carnage and curly hair like fire. No, I was thinking of warm butterscotch eyes and a smile to brighten any day.

**Next chapter to follow shortly.**


	2. Chapter 2

_...who you are is falling over me..._

Exhausted from my day of traveling, I slept peacefully for a few hours. It was all I usually banked in a night, even before the nightmares and death of my parents. It was early, nearing five, and I stood, stretching. I wondered vaguely if the absence of the usual dreams was significant because I'd seen other ones, other vampires, and they hadn't jumped at the opportunity to rip the throats out of any humans.

This was a lie, though. I knew inside that it had nothing to do with vampires in general, and everything to do with the muscular, dimpled boy in particular. He looked like he could only be a year or two older than me at the most, as did the blond boy. The girl was harder to place, because she was so tiny. The man and woman were no older than their mid-twenties, I was sure.

I wondered if I'd ever see them again. Sea-Tac was the major airport, so it could be that they were going anywhere, really. I felt a slight pang in my chest at the idea of never seeing that smile again. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind; I had other things at hand to worry about.

I sighed as I ran my hand along my sharp hip, knowing that if I lifted my shirt, my ribs would be all-too visible. It was shameful, really, and I couldn't wait to start gaining weight again. I'd been a competitive cross-country runner since I was thirteen, and I'd certainly been no stranger to strength training and high calorie diets. Visible bones meant weakness, frailty, and I hated being those things. I vowed to eat second helpings at every meal I could and I was going to start that very day to get back into some semblance of a running routine. I yearned for the blood pumping in my ears, for the strain of my feet against hills and dirt and concrete, for the clean, fresh pines towering above me. It'd been far too long since I'd felt that kind of peaceful.

I grabbed a pair of sweats and my beloved ipod, then headed to the kitchen for a power breakfast.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

My sister was dead. It hadn't taken long for her to crack under my interrogation on the way back to Forks, and she'd pretty much spilled the beans on the visions she'd had of this girl and me. I guess I was just too shocked that there was even a chance of another girl in my life. Don't get me wrong, I'd been with plenty as a human, but as a vampire my world had been all about Rose. And Alice's visions weren't exactly G-rated, if you know what I mean, so it wasn't as if this girl and I were just going to be chums, or that I'd think of her that I did Alice and Esme. So a chance of something after Rose was almost unheard of, at least to me.

That was painful in ways I'd never experienced, and that just sucked. But I was dealing. I knew what Rose wanted more than anything-more than me, obviously-was a kid. So she'd gone to run around the world looking for one. I loved her enough that I wanted her to just be happy, and if I wasn't cutting it anymore, well, more power to her, or that's how I tried to look at it anyway.

No matter what, I still had my family. Rose couldn't change that, and though in the beginning I felt like there was definitely something missing, a hole somewhere inside of me maybe, time was easing that. I guess knowing you had the support of those around you could pretty much get you through anything.

I didn't want to think that seeing that startled, knowing gaze of the girl at the airport had anything to do with making life easier to face.

What I didn't want to do didn't matter. Nothing else but her seemed to right now.

**oooo**

**Esme POV**

I didn't pretend to know what was going on in Rosalie's mind. I'd felt the same yearnings for my own children that she did, but I'd been able to find happiness with Carlisle, with my surrogate sons and daughters. I'd love her the same, of course, but I didn't know that I'd ever be able to forgive her for hurting Emmett the way she had.

In the beginning, she had called nearly every day to check in. That soon turned to every other day, then every few weeks, and so continuing until it'd been nearly three months since any of us had heard from her. Alice had tried to glimpse Rosalie's future, but she'd given up ages ago, mostly out of contempt and anger.

"If she doesn't want us, then we don't want her, either." Alice had sniffed, trying to cover her hurt feelings with indifference. Jasper shot her a small smile, knowing that he wasn't the only one in the room who sensed this.

But I tried to carry on as normally as I could. It might be that Rosalie would return to us, someday. For my family, time was immaterial. And I still had the rest of my children, and my husband, my other half. It certainly could have been a lot worse.

I suppose the worst part was that I harbored an enormous amount of guilt, wishing that there could be someone out there, human or vampire, for my loud, sweet, raucous son that would appreciate and need only him.

**oooo**

Maureen was very sweet, and though I had never, before now, experienced this first-hand, my mother had always said so of her half sister. It was this trait, perhaps, that had caused her to shoulder her way through two difficult marriages, the second one ending only a short time after Angela was born. Maureen was single now, and seemed cheerful enough to work at the one salon in town. She hadn't said much about her past on the way home from Seattle, and I hadn't pushed her. I had too much experience trying to keep people in blissful ignorance, and I knew when to keep my mouth shut. If she wanted to tell me, then she would, and that was pretty much what I told inquisitive people about myself.

Per my aunt's instruction, I tried to make myself feel as at home as I could, and started with what used to be my standard breakfast; two over easy eggs, two slices of whole grain toast smothered with jam and a tall protein shake. I found everything but the protein mix, deciding I'd have to venture into town later that day. If there was thing runners lived by, it was routine, and any break in the cycle, which hadn't failed me or my competitions for years, could be a huge step backward, especially when training, like I deemed myself to be.

After eating I rinsed my dishes and put them in the dishwasher, wiping the counters and stove down before jotting a note to Maureen and Angela about a jog around the neighborhood. Honestly Forks wasn't that large, and it was almost impossible to get lost here, but I figured I'd better stick close by and get a feel of things before I ventured any farther. I was quiet keen to go into the woods, where Angela had mentioned bike paths and hiking trails, both of which were a cross-country runner's dream.

I stretched quickly, anxious for the familiar feel of my feet against ground, for the out-of-breath satisfaction that came with each passing stride. I pulled up my old workout play list on my ipod, hearing the heavy metal and deep bass of my favorite Godsmack song. I counted along with the beats in the first verse, and then I was blissfully off.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

I couldn't get that girl out of my head. I hadn't even said anything to her, and I didn't even know her name. But you know how it is, the second you decide to not think about something, BAM there it is, pounding against your skull. I didn't know what it was about her that drew me in. She wasn't pretty - okay, screw that. She was pretty, very much so, but not in your usual, 36-24-36, blonde-hair-to-her-waist kind of way.

In other words, not like Rose.

She was something different, something else entirely, and I found myself curious about her. What had made her so lonely? Where was her family, anyway? What state did she move from? What bugged me most of all was that I was sure, in the instant that our eyes had met, she knew exactly what I was, and what my family was. And she hadn't run screaming into the night, hadn't cringed away from our presence like any other human would.

Personally, I loved being a vampire. It was kick ass on levels you couldn't even wet dream about, and I'd never once regretted Rose's decision to have Carlisle turn me. I'd never had to wonder about the walls that were naturally there between myself and human girls, because I'd never cared to look at one close enough until now. Rose had been my everything, the only knowledge of partnership in this immortal world I had. It wasn't until she'd left that I realized there was so much to do, so much to experience in the human world I hadn't been a part of for decades. And she wasn't the only important thing to me anymore. So if anything, I guess I was a little grateful to her for that.

And holy shit, did that girl smell amazing. Vampires smell like just what they are to other vampires-alive, but not living, their scents cold and like that of the world they surrounded themselves in. Sometimes they smelled like blood, if they'd recently fed, or they smelled like dirt and sap, if they'd been traveling in the woods, trying to avoid detection until they were ready to hunt for humans.

But her...she smelled like peeled oranges and freshly cut cedar, and it left my mouth watering. Of course there was the animal inside of me who wanted nothing more than to rip at her throat, at her wrists, drain every drop of blood from her body, but on top of that was a guy who'd just sniffed the hair of the girl he not only wanted to get lucky with, but happened to care deeply about.

Which was retarded because I didn't even know her. How could you love somebody you'd never even said two words to?

"It happens." Alice had said with a wink, as Jasper draped his arm over her shoulder. She was right, I guess. She'd been having visions of Jasper years before they'd met, and she'd loved him with every ounce of her tiny being before the day she'd found him. So it wasn't impossible, obviously.

I'd never let anything stop me from being the straight forward, go get em guy I'd always been. So I decided after I hunted the next day, I'd see what this girl was all about.

**oooo**

The sleeping pills I'd been prescribed months ago were not helping. I slept off and on, fitful bursts of unconsciousness that my nightmares crept into. I did manage one decent dream, though I wasn't sure I should view it as such. Surely it was another sign that I was losing any sanity I had left.

I woke up with a deep gasp, my body sheened in sweat. I'd seen her again, of course. Her feral eyes, crimson, lips dripping with blood, hands enclosed around my mother...I shuddered, my breathing increasing. I needed to do something, to get out. It was much too hot in here, I needed to sit outside or take a cold shower or-

I must've fallen back asleep, because I felt, then, two strong, cool arms enclose me, and this surely could only happen in the fantasy-like realms of a dream. I knew immediately, instinctively, who it was. With just his nearness, I felt more relaxed. I inhaled, the most amazing scent filling the air. He smelled like the forest, like pine trees and rain and it was so...zen, really. I eased into him, the curve of my body fitting perfectly against his. I felt his breath at the top of my head, and I reached out, grasping his hands. Their coldness saturated me, and I reveled in the feeling.

"It's okay," He said, his voice deep and low and it had a strong calming effect on me. My skin tingled at the sound of it. This was really pathetic. I'd only seen him once, never spoken to him, never introduced myself, and yet here I was, all-but obsessed with him. I doubted if he even, in real life, lived anywhere near here.

"I don't...I'm sorry. I don't even know your name." I whispered.

He chuckled, a pleasant rumbling sound that reverberated through our bodies. "Emmett."

His hand was pushing its way, gently, under my shirt, down my back...this time, I shuddered in pleasure. I heard him swallow deeply, then he continued to move his hand down my side, grasping gently at my protruding hip. He made a noise in the back of his throat of slight disappointment.

I sighed sleepily, my breathing becoming steady and even as I began to drift off. "I know, I look like a refugee..."

He chuckled again. "And he's supposed to be the only one who can read minds." He muttered.

"Emmett." I murmured, enjoying the way his name sounded on my tongue, and then his lips were at the back of my neck, and even though I knew it was most certainly not a good idea for this dream to continue-after all, vampire's hardly left human necks unscathed, especially in my dreams-my desperation for this man outweighed anything else, and I felt his lips, icy at first then slightly warm, kiss my tender skin.

**As ever, feedback is appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Edward POV**

I'd come to Alaska to escape the very thing Tanya had presented. There was a girl back in Forks, who, to put it bluntly, made my life hell. She was bent on seducing me, and I seemed to hardly find a peaceful moment without her following me around at school, or else calling and texting my cell phone (that was thanks to Emmett, who had slipped Jessica my cell number without my knowledge). So I'd taken a vacation of sorts and had gone to Alaska to stay with our extended family, as it were.

Tanya seemed just as determined as Jessica, though she was much more dangerous because of the whole I-can-persue-you-forever thing. So my trip up North had been a short one, and I arrived home the day after Esme and Carlisle returned from a medical conference in New York.

I was bewildered, to say the least, at the shift in my family's attention. Well, to be fair, it was only Alice and Emmett that had seemed to go off the tangent of rational thought, Alice replaying visions of Emmett and a human girl with black hair, Emmett thinking only of that same girl. It seemed I'd missed quite a bit in the few days I'd been away.

I couldn't begrudge Emmett his happiness, though, as that was precisely what the thoughts of this girl was making him. There would of course be no realistic way that he could ever be more than schoolmates with her, but I wasn't going to be the one yet to remind him of that. He'd had little to smile about since Rosalie had left us.

In my opinion, it was the right choice for her. She clearly didn't love us enough to stay, and Emmett hadn't fulfilled her needs. I guess the right things are sometimes the hardest, though, at least on the ones left behind. But I had a strange feeling that this girl, with her dark eyes and citrus scent, might be the precise thing Emmett needed to move on.

**oooo**

When I woke the next day it was to the sunlight filtering in through my window. I sat up quickly, cursing as I checked my alarm clock. It was already nine, and I flung the covers off me, prepared to eat and ready quickly, then dash out the door to run the same course as I had yesterday. As I stood from the bed, the smell from my dream last night washed over me and I sunk back down into my sheets, lifting them to my nose.

They were drenched in his- in Emmett's- scent. I cursed again, dropping the sheet and shooting away from the bed as though scalded. Of course his name wasn't Emmett, that was just another stupid part of my stupid dream. I couldn't believe I'd actually allowed myself to sink so low as to fantasize about him...about a vampire!

Clearly, I'd lost my mind. But dammit, it had been such a lovely way to lose it. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so relaxed, felt so safe. If there was one thing I was sure of, lying in his strong arms, it was that he'd never let anything hurt me. Perhaps it was this (I tightened my jaw at the memory of his lips on my neck- that had taken the dream to beyond enjoyable levels) that had allowed me to, finally, sleep so soundly.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

I knew it was a mistake - hell, it was probably the stupidest thing I could have done. Not because I was vampire who was built to kill fragile humans like her (although, for real, I don't think there was one "fragile" thing about that girl, even with the night she'd had) or because I couldn't keep the thirst under control. It was because now I knew what it was like to hold her, to touch her, to smell her so damn close.

And I wanted more. Holy hell, I wanted _more._

I couldn't help it. She was just so damn scared, shaking and tossing and sweating. It'd been a lifetime since I'd had a nightmare, but it wasn't that hard to recognize the signs of a really bad one. I'd wanted nothing more in those seconds that I was perched silently out her window than to crawl in and hold her, to let her know she was safe. I was here, and she should know that with me around, nothing would happen to her.

The weird part was, she did seem to know that, as soon as I pulled her into my arms. She relaxed, she was comfortable. Our bodies fit perfectly together, like we were just...made for each other. That sounds a little gay, don't think I don't know it. But it's the truth.

I _liked_ that. That I could be there like this for her. Rose never let me, never needed me to, never wanted me to. It was nice to be the protector, for once.

I knew I'd need to see her again, to be that close again.

The best, and hardest part was, though, that I didn't feel an ounce of guilt toward Rose, wanting another woman.

**oooo**

As I dressed quickly and made my way to the kitchen, the smell of bacon drifted out into the hallway. I entered the kitchen, Angela seated at the table, a plate of pancakes in front of her, the Sunday paper open and in her hands.

"Good morning Kelly," Maureen, standing over a griddle pan with a spatula, said to me. She gestured toward the table, where a place was already set for me; a tall glass of orange juice beside a heaping plate with pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. My stomach growled and I cursed myself again for oversleeping. Or cursed _him_ for making me so...so relaxed and safe that I was able to oversleep.

"Um, Angela," I said, sitting down at my place beside her, "I was wondering..." I didn't really know how to start. I couldn't very well say "I believe I'm hallucinating and last evening a very muscular, very attractive vampire who smelt better than God was in bed with me...wouldn't happen to know his name, eh?"

Angela folded up her paper and set it beside her plate. "Yes?" She said, giving me a grin.

"You know at the airport, when you two picked me up?" She nodded. "I saw some...kids there, they looked about our age. They were in the gate next to ours."

Angela nodded again. "Oh, you mean the Cullens. Yeah, they were there, weren't they? Let's see...there was Alice, she's the petite one with short hair, she's really nice, she's in my Biology class, you'll have that with us. And of course Jasper was there...the tall blond one. He's really quiet, but overall he's nice, too. And I remember seeing Dr. and Mrs. Cullen...I think Alice mentioned something about a conference Dr. Cullen had back East."

"And the other one? He looked like a jock, and he had short brown hair." I prompted, licking my lips.

"Oh, that's right! That's Emmett."

My stomach dropped. His name really was Emmett...and Alice and Jasper went to Angela's, to _my_, school...

"Is he in school as well?"

Angela grinned, a slightly knowing look in her eye. "Yes, he's a senior. He's really funny and you should hear the coaches going on about him. They've been begging him since his sophomore year to play football and basketball and baseball, all those sports. But he won't, says he's saving it for college," Angela shrugged, "see, all of them - Alice and Jasper and Edward and Emmett and Rosalie - they're all Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's foster kids. They moved down here from Alaska the summer before my ninth grade year. Except, well...Alice and Jasper are together. I think they're engaged, Alice always wears this huge ring, you know? And...Emmett and Rosalie used to be together, but..." Angela hesitated, and I knew she was thinking of her dislike for gossiping, "Rosalie left, I don't really know the details. Emmett was pretty crushed for a while, but he's been getting a lot better lately."

My head was swimming. There was another girl? Another vampire, of course, what else would she be in that...coven? I didn't think that was the right term. They seemed more a family than anything to me, the way they acted together and the way Angela was describing them. I couldn't believe that somebody, regardless of being human or not, would leave Emmett. I'd only had one night with him, one night with him so close, and whether it was a dream or not, it was probably the best night of my life. I couldn't imagine somebody having that all the time, and then just...abandoning it. This Rosalie had a good reason, perhaps, but she sounded like a moron to me.

"Hey," Angela said, elbowing me in the ribs, "You might have a class with him, they mix the grades for math and gym."

My throat dry at that prospect, I could do nothing more than nod.

**oooo**

**Jasper POV**

It was a pleasant change, I don't mind saying. Emmett was fierce in all aspects of his life, and though I suppose you could label him the strong and silent type more than anything, when he felt something, he did it with all of his being. So, needless to say, when those raging emotions shifted from misery and loneliness to curiosity, to protectiveness and even happiness, I welcomed them.

Emmett was always the most difficult to use my gift on, even more so than Rosalie had been. He simply didn't want any outside help, though he confessed to, once in a while, needing it. I can't tell you how often I wished, in the days and weeks after Rosalie left, that Emmett would just smile again, would just crash around the house and knock down a few trees, as was his usual way.

I often lamented what a shame it was that alcohol had no effect on us vampires. If anybody could have used a stiff drink in the past couple of months, it was surely my brother. In his human life, he often said, he was no stranger to hang-overs. I had no problem believing this. He had come from a large Irish family. Need I say any more?

I suppose I was heavily influenced by Alice. She always had a positive spin on every little thing, and she was overjoyed that finally Emmett was returning to his old self. And from what it seemed, in her visions, this girl was going to feel as strongly for Emmett as he did, and would, for her.

But still I was wary of the entire situation. After all, they don't say be careful what you wish for for nothing.

**oooo**

The day passed quickly, as I know time does when you're dreading something. And I was dreading Monday morning. I never particularly liked school in general, and I wasn't openly social. Angela insisted that her friends were very welcoming people, but I doubted this. They lived in a small town and weren't used to outsiders. I really had no idea as to how they'd accept me. Honestly, at the end of the day I didn't care.

Not about them, anyway.

I ached to see Emmett again, to witness that breath-taking smile and just be near him. Even if it was just in the same school building. I was still convinced that what had taken place in my bedroom had been nothing more than a fantasy. I couldn't explain how I knew his name, although I figured I must have heard it used by his family at the airport without realizing it.

I had it bad, and I didn't even actually know the guy.

The vampire.

Emmett. Was. A. Vampire.

Like the one who had taken my life away and murdered my parents and left my house empty and cold. The one who had been cruel enough to leave me alive, to give me terrifying nightmares and a constant fear for the rest of my life,

Except...I hadn't been afraid last night, and the nightmare I'd had was dissolved into blissful comfort, the cool safety of arms gentle and strong at the same time.

I didn't want to think about this right now. I stood from the couch, where I had been flipping idly through the TV channels, and told Angela I was going for a quick walk. She looked up from her spot at the kitchen table, scribbling away on some homework, and nodded, promising to tell Maureen when she got out of the shower.

I didn't know where I was going, where I should go. All I knew was that I needed to get moving, needed to get away from the house where my sheets still smelled like a forest after a rainfall, where I couldn't get him out of my head. I tied my shoes, donned my jacket, and headed out the door.

Of course, it was raining. I didn't mind it, though. Growing up on the East coast I was used to rain, and I took comfort in the familiar smell of damp asphalt as I made my way up the street. I thought vaguely of going to get something to eat, as there was a pizza parlor of sorts just a few blocks away. Not that Maureen's traditional Sunday dinner of roast hadn't filled me, of course, but I knew I'd need the carbs for tomorrow, and I seized any interest in food I could scrounge up.

I suppose, in retrospect, I should have known what was waiting for me when I walked through Pizza Oven's doors.

**As ever, feedback is greatly appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

He was sitting at one of the four tables, as though waiting for me. After a stunned minute in which I was sure he could hear my heart thudding in my chest, I looked around at the other tables, but none of them were empty. Actually, none of them could have fit another chair on them even if I wanted them to.

The tiny girl who had been at the airport, Alice, slid out of her chair and came up to me. "Hi!" She said brightly, "I'm Alice. You're Angela's cousin, right?"

I nodded. I suppose talk spread in a small town like this. Besides, it wasn't hard to pin me as Angela's relative. Though my hair was darker and I was shorter than her, we still looked like family. Alice was so weird! Not weird as in a freak, but just weirdly friendly, I guess. Especially for a vampire.

"Wanna sit with us? It's just me and my brother."

I glanced over at the table, where Emmett gave me a small wave. I tried not to look at him in the eye, sure that if I did, I'd probably melt into a puddle right there on the linoleum floor.

"Um," I said, not sure if I trusted myself. After all, one smile from him and it was all over...

"It's fine," Alice assured me, and pulled me by my sleeve to their table. I looked wildly around hoping for a waitress to come out so I could just place a to-go order and get out of here as soon as possible, but no such salvation came, and I had no choice but to allow this.

"Here we go," Alice said, giving Emmett a long look. After a second, which I'm sure seemed much longer to the two of them, Alice lightly shoved me in the chair beside Emmett. Grateful that, at least, this wasn't a booth, I scooted (with great difficulty actually; every pore in my body was screaming to be as close to him as possible) my chair as far away from him as I could, to the very corner of the table.

"Em, this is-?" Alice began, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.

"Oh, right. I'm Kelly."

Alice smiled. "This is Emmett. We live just outside town."

I nodded. "Right. I saw you guys at the airport a few days ago."

"Where did you move from?" Emmett broke in. I clenched my hands around the edge of my chair as his voice sounded exactly as it had last night. Deep, with an underlying tone of excitement, yet always steady. There was nothing else to be said; I had officially lost my mind. How was it possible that I knew such things about him without actually being around him?

"I lived in upstate New York." I said without looking at him, very much aware of our closeness, despite my feeble efforts to put space between us.

"I love New York!" Alice said, and she started going on about the shopping there, and the adorable Gucci dress she'd bought last time she'd gone.

I nodded every now and then, trying to be polite and pay attention, but my focus was solely on Emmett. I could smell him, and though the scent wasn't as strong as last night because we weren't as close, it was still tantalizing and I was steadily losing control of any resolve I had. Not that I wanted to stay away from him, just that I hated that I was wanting what had destroyed my family. It was sick and twisted on universal levels, and I cursed myself that only I could have the luck to move to some poe dunk town like Forks, find the only vampires probably in the entire West, and fall madly in love with one of them, one I barely even knew.

As my mother used to say, such is life.

**oooo**

**Carlisle POV**

"Are you sure he'll be...alright?" I asked Edward. It wasn't that I didn't trust my son, of course, merely that I worried for him, like I did all my children. With recent events, it was only wise to question the control of such a strong force like Emmett.

Edward nodded. "He won't hurt her. It's almost as if he _can't_. Like the idea of her not being here is much more unbearable than the worst of thirsts."

I could relate to this, in some form. My beloved had almost been taken from me once, and though her heart was still beating, she would have certainly passed on if I hadn't stepped in. Her blood was the most indescribably sensuous thing I'd ever encountered, and had it not been for the fact that I'd loved her for years before happening upon her that day, that I knew what it was like to be without her, I surely would have killed her, once I'd given in to biting her.

But I knew that with her, my life would be much more complete than if only my thirst for her blood was quenched. So I returned Edward's smile, knowing that Emmett would, like myself, make the right choice.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

When she walked in the door, I knew it was her before looking up. Her scent, the unique rhythm of her heart. I was surprised that I was already so tuned to her. I could swear it had take me much longer with Rose to be this familiar. I looked over at Alice, the one who had dragged me along on this little escapade. She smiled loftily at me, then stood from her chair, walking over to the girl.

I should've known Alice had an agenda in bringing me here. I was just along for the ride because we were supposed to go hunting afterward, and Alice was the only one of my family I actually enjoyed hunting with. She was fast and knew where the best game would be, so I'd agreed to make a short stop before heading on into the woods.

My bad, I guess, for not seeing through her. But it wasn't like I was really mad. It was cool to finally stop thinking about this girl and actually see her. She looked like she'd seen a ghost when she looked over at our table, her dark eyes contracting as she glanced at me. I wondered if she'd been thinking about me as much as I'd been thinking about her. She probably thought that last night was a dream. I'd wanted to be there when she'd woken up, but my gut was telling me that it was too soon for that. I didn't know what was really gonna happen between us, so I'd left before she'd started to wake up.

I was more aware of her than I had ever been of anybody, and that was something new and exciting and maybe even scary all at the same time. I was zoned in on her, like I was a jet aiming for a target to bomb. Alice drug her to our table, more or less shoving her into the chair next to me. The girl scooted her chair to the very edge of the table, as though I was contaminated. I looked at Alice, who still had that annoying smile on her face.

"Em, this is-?"

"Oh, right. I'm Kelly." Her voice had an edge to it, not rude or anything, just kind of like she wanted to let people know that she wasn't down with a lot of talk.

"This is Emmett. We live just outside town."

"Right, I saw you guys at the airport a few days ago."

She wasn't looking at me, or at Alice, instead focused on the napkin dispenser in the middle of the table. I wanted to hear more of that voice, to know more about her. Alice nudged me under the table with her foot.

"Where did you move from?" I asked, turning to look at her. She tightened her grip on the edge of the chair, her knuckles showing white under her skin. What was with her? She wasn't scared, at least not that I could smell or tell.

"I lived in upstate New York." She said after a moment, still not looking at me. Alice started blabbing on about some stupid ass shopping trip she'd taken there, giving me an opportunity to just be by Kelly. Her scent was as strong as last night, and I had the same desire to hold her close to me (it was weird, but my thirst wasn't bugging as bad as it usually did when I was this close to humans. I'd have to think about that later and figure out why). While her eyes, for now anyway, didn't have the same loneliness that they did at the airport, I never wanted her to have to feel that way again. I wanted to protect her, to not just keep her safe but to be there for her, to be there by her.

"Sorry," A voice broke in, not really sounding sorry at all, and I turned to see a girl from Alice's class, looking harassed and pulling out a pad. "Know what you want?"

"Pepperoni okay with you?" Alice asked Kelly, who gave her a slightly confused look but nodded.

"A large pepperoni, and three milks, please." Alice said, and the girl whirled away without responding.

"What a bitch." Kelly said, her eyebrow lifted after the girl.

Alice nodded. "Agreed. But you know, she's always like that. Her name's Lauren, and as a rule she doesn't like other girls, and she doesn't like my brothers or Jaz because they won't go out with her."

Kelly rolled her eyes. "I love girls like that. They're my favorite."

For as closed off as Kelly wanted to be, at least that was the vibe she put out there, she seemed to be opening up pretty well. Maybe she was just making an effort. New town, new people, I guess.

It was stupid that I wanted to think it was because of me, because of me being here. Out of the corner of me eye I saw Kelly glance over at me for a second, then grin as she hurriedly averted her eyes.

Maybe it wasn't so stupid after all.

**oooo**

"Can I walk you home?" Emmett asked me, as we left our empty plates and vacated the restaurant. It was dark outside now, still raining. I couldn't deny how nice it would be to have some time with him alone. Not that I would say much, I had barely been able to eat my share of the pizza without looking like an idiot.

"Oh," I said, glancing at Alice, who was looking up at the sky.

"I'll just meet you at home," She said with a wink at her brother, and she turned and began walking down the main road, opposite of the direction I was going.

"Um," I said, as Emmett gestured for me to follow him, "thanks. You know, for the pizza." I had tried to pay for at least my share of the late dinner, but Emmett was having absolutely none of that.

"Welcome." He shrugged, and as I'd said, if he smiled, it would be all over. My legs nearly gave out, and I gripped the nearest object, a green Chevy, and could've sworn I heard a faint, tinkling laugh as I tried to right myself.

"You okay?" Emmett looked back at me.

I cleared my throat, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Dandy." I said, and I hurried to walk beside him, as close as I could get without being invading,.

"Do you like it here? So far?" Emmett asked after a few minute of silence, looking over and down at me.

I held his gaze for a moment, his eyes a slightly darker shade of the caramel brown they had been at the airport, but just as warm. "Yeah," I replied, "there are some things better than others." I said without thinking, then clapped my hands to my mouth, mortified.

Emmett smirked. "Like?"

"Oh, you know." I shrugged, trying to sound indifferent. God, I was_ such_ an idiot.

"Yeah..." Emmett trailed off, and he stopped, his icy hand gripping mine and he pulled me back to him, "yeah, I do." He used his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes searching mine, his hand hovering between my hair and my cheek. I was sure I had stopped breathing.

"Sleep tight." He said at last, and released my hand, stepping back from me. I looked around, realizing that we were in front of the Weber's house. My house.

"Right. Thanks again." I said, and he gave me a two fingered salute, making sure I was in the house before turning to leave. As I shut the front door behind me I rushed to the living room window, hoping to see him pass, but he was long gone. Stupid vampire speed...stupid vampire in general! I couldn't believe myself, getting all caught up in a cheesy moment like that. I'd promised myself that I would confront them-the Cullens-about what they really were. I'd demand to know why they were here, why they wanted to live like humans.

But of course that hadn't happened. I had basically slobbered and swooned all over Emmett Cullen like a pathetic thirteen year-old fangirl, and I was deeply embarrassed by that, but I couldn't deny that being alone with him and it being actual, not a dream, was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Stupid vampire.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

I ducked as Emmett, trying to be sneaky, swooped up behind me, trying to get me into a headlock.

"Oh, it's on now, you little freak!" Emmett said, and he tried to come at me again, but I was too fast for him. Knowing his exact movements ahead of time, he didn't stand a chance.

"Alright, fine." He conceded, folding his arm across his chest, "you win. But I'm still pissed."

I laughed. "No you're not! You love it and you love me. Aaaand you love her."

Emmett dropped his hands to his sides. "Negative on all three, little sis."

"Hey!" I protested, "I'm older than you, you palooka. And you can try and deny it all you want, but you wanted to do _much_ more than just hold her hand, didn't you? Geez Em, you're such a perv."

Emmett glared at me, but I knew he wasn't really mad. "Well duh, I'm a vampire and she's a human. I wanted her blood."

I sighed. "Ah, of course. It's only about her blood. Not about the color of her hair or her smile, right? Or how smart you think she is, how easy she is to be around. It was her blood that stopped you from killing her last night, wasn't it? Not how she felt in your arms or-"

"Got it, thanks." Emmett interrupted, peeved that I was hitting home. "Now shut up and let's hunt."

I nodded. "You're going to need it, being one-on-one with with a human girl so much."

I stepped out of the way as Emmett, a grin on his face, barrelled after me once more.

**As always, feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be out shortly.**


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't expect to have that dream again, though I very much wanted to. I could do with another good night's sleep, especially as tomorrow was sure to be long and exhausting. I figured a run before school would help ease some of my tension, but Angela had said the rain was only going to get worse, and it really wouldn't be safe for running.

This did nothing to improve my mood, especially since I was still grossly out shape and what I didn't need was to, this early on in my routine, deviate from it.

I tried reading before bed, to try and relax myself. That didn't work, probably because I'd chosen a collection of Poe, and while I dearly loved the man for being sinister and off the tangent of rational thought, he certainly didn't make for great prebed reading, not when you already knew fear firsthand.

I did drift in and out for a few hours, before finally giving up and heading down to the kitchen. I made a tall mug of hot chocolate, grabbed a blanket off the back of the sofa, and went out to sit on the porch. It was freezing out here, but I had never minded the cold. In fact, I thought, thinking of Emmett's hand holding mine, I might even prefer it...

"Stop. Right. Now." I said aloud to myself, after I'd quietly shut the front door. The porch was covered, and though not large, big enough to fit in various potted plants and a swinging bench for two.

I hated the raw attraction I had to Emmett, hated how the gaping hole inside of me seemed to fill when I was around him, whether in reality or in my dreams. For the first time since my family had been killed, I felt whole.

I gulped the hot chocolate, slightly burning my tongue. I wondered vaguely if Emmett's lips were as cold as his hands, and how they would feel against my own and if he liked hot chocolate? And then why did Alice and Emmett eat dinner? I mean, as vampires, they were sustained by blood, weren't they? And then of course that brought up the whole matter of their eye color. I was very uneducated when it came to vampires, the things I knew only gained through first hand experience, and any research I'd tried to do on them lead to very fictional ends. I realized that when dealing with vampires in general it was highly irrational, but some things I'd found out were just too far out of the realm of reality.

I stood up, leaning against the railing. My whole problem was that I was over thinking everything, wanting to analyze every detail until my brain was literally fried.

The bottom line was this. I was terribly attracted to Emmett. He was indescribably handsome and strong and had a smile that could, if you weren't careful, completely blindside you. He was easy to be around, and I felt entirely safe with him. It wasn't just that I was attracted to him, it was that I wanted to know him. What did he like to do? Vampires had to have interests, didn't they? Where had he lived before? How had he come to be with his current family?

I sighed, draining my hot chocolate, ignoring the sting of the steaming liquid. Retaking my seat on the bench, I wrapped the blanket around me, laying flat as I closed my eyes, trying to recall the deeply calming scent of Emmett Cullen.

**oooo**

I woke up some hours later, my alarm blaring in my ear. Disoriented for a minute, I groggily sat up, not sure of where I was. I was one hundred percent positive I had fallen asleep on the porch, and not in my room, where I was now. My bed was warm, meaning I'd been in it for a while. I lifted my hand, rubbing my forehead. My sleeve pressed against my nose, and I felt a tingle in the pit of my stomach as pines and rain washed over me.

It was official; I was completely and totally losing my mind.

Because other than the possibility that I had started sleep walking and had made my own way back to bed, the only other evidence pointed to the wildly unlikely option that Emmett Cullen had put me there. Had lifted me in his arms, held me to him, silently entered the house, laid me down in my bed, and covered me with the blankets. Had he kissed me, like he had the previous night? Whispered my name? Maybe he had held me tenderly, like I meant something to him...

Or maybe none of that had happened. Maybe I had just spiraled out of the real world and was living off in some other galaxy where insanity was quite the norm.

It didn't matter. What mattered was that I was becoming addicted to a man, to a _vampire_, that I had no hope of reaching. He wouldn't want a breakable, silly human like me with more baggage than most skycaps could handle.

Which was worse? That I wanted to reach him, or that I couldn't?

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

I couldn't help it. I just couldn't stay away from her. Alice had been right. I'd wanted to more than hold her hand. I'd wanted to be next to her and feel her bare skin on mine and run my fingers through her hair, to feel the heat from her pulse against me and to hear her say my name. And more, so god damn much more.

It didn't have to be dirty, it didn't have to be sex. And that was something way new. It had seemed with Rose I couldn't get enough of her, of being with her. But that...it was nothing like this. Rose and Kelly were complete opposites in almost every aspect, including how they made me feel.

She had been on the porch when I'd seen her, standing there and looking out into the rain like she was trying to solve world hunger or something deep like that. She really had a problem with sleeping. I didn't know much about her past - none of us did - but whatever she had gone through was bad enough to keep her up at night. I wanted to erase all of that, whatever made her scared to close her eyes.

I guess it was stupid of me to think that I could do that. Or maybe it was stupid to think that I had the right to. She wasn't mine, and even if she was, Kelly wasn't exactly the damsel in distress kind of girl.

So what was worse? That Kelly wasn't mine to save, or that I wanted to save her in the first place?

**oooo**

There really wasn't anything to say about the first part of my day. Angela showed me around and introduced me to her friends. I wanted to like them, I really did, but they weren't exactly the kind of people I pictured myself hanging out with. I had felt more comfortable around Alice and Emmett, two bloodthirsty vampires, then I did around these very safe people I would be spending, at the very least, the rest of my time in high school with.

I had looked for Em - for the Cullens, _the Cullens_, but I hadn't seen any of them yet. I thought it would be inevitable, with, as Angela had said, Edward and Alice being in the same grade as I was. But so far, they hadn't shown, though I knew that the next class I had was Biology. Angela met me at my locker, her smile sympathetic, as I slammed my locker door shut with more force than was necessary.

"It's just up here. Almost half done, right?" Angela said, slipping into the nearest classroom.

I walked in the classroom, the first thing I glimpsed was Alice, standing at the teacher's desk. She turned around to look at me, winking as I passed her, following Angela.

Angela indicated the spot next to her, but the teacher, an elderly man with glasses too large for his face and a friendly smile, cleared his throat. "We're going to put her with Miss Cullen, Miss Weber." Alice took my wrist and led me to the back of the room, pulling out a chair for me with her ankle.

"And now," the teacher, Mr. Brown, according to my schedule, gestured to the board where he'd written a series of questions. "Biology is first and foremost a science, and the only way we learn about science is to pose questions on which to base theories. Today, I want each of you to interview your partner. Here are some sample questions," he vaguely shook his hand toward the chalkboard, "and tomorrow I want you to combine all your data and form a theory on your partner - it could be what career suits them best, what extra curricular activities they should be involved in, even who they should begin a romantic liaison with." Mr. Brown gave a hearty chuckle, then gave another shake of his hand, dismissing us to begin.

"Well," Alice said, her mechanical pencil poised over her sleek back notebook, "shall we?"

I shrugged, pulling my own notebook out of my bag. I had no idea what to ask her; Mr. Brown's questions were mundane and highly generalized, and the only thing I could think of right now was asking Alice if Emmett had come to school today. God, I was such an idiot.

"You start." I said.

"Okay," Alice squinted at the chalk board, "what's your biggest problem right now?"

I balked. This was _not_ a question on the board. Where would I even begin to answer that? I was falling in love with her older brother, who, being a vampire, was the very thing I was supposed to hate because of the brutal double-murdering of my parents. Not to, you know, mention that I barely even knew Emmett to begin with.

"Shoes," I hurriedly said, as Alice raised an inquiring eyebrow at my silent deliberation.

She nodded sympathetically. "I know, this town doesn't have much selection, does it? You know it's bleak when the nearest Michael Kors selection is an entire day's trip away."

I shook my head. "Not those kind of shoes. Running shoes."

"Running shoes?" Alice said, as though it was inconceivable that I didn't understand her fashion plight.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm a runner...or I used to be, anyway. I haven't been into it seriously for a long time...I kind of outgrew my pair." I shrugged. It was a feasible enough answer. And the blister on my heel from my last run was proof enough.

"Well, I guess that is a thinker..." Alice said kindly, though I knew she was probably just thinking I was insane. I certainly couldn't disagree with her.

"Next question please." I asked, waiting for her to make notes on her paper. She simply tapped the eraser on the table, considering the board again.

"Favorite color?"

I relaxed a bit; this was Mr. Brown's first question. "Blue." Alice smirked. With a jolt, I wondered if we were both remembering the same thing; Emmett had been wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt at Sea-Tac, the first time I'd ever seen him.

"Favorite food?"

"I'm not really picky. Lots of protein and carbs, I guess. Mexican is good."

"This is really getting us nowhere." Alice said, "I can't tell you what you should do or be or love from these answers. I need better info."

I shrugged; what did she want from me? I couldn't very well allow myself to spill the most intimate details of my life. They were hidden in places I preferred to stay away from, and though Alice was nice and she was obviously tame, to some degree, I didn't think it was prudent to be getting chummy with her. Not when I knew what her true nature was.

So what did that make my feelings for Emmett, then?

God, I was such an idiot.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

Kelly wasn't an easy human to read, but that made it quite fun, really. A challenge, kind of. She liked keeping things simple, general. Nothing too personal, nothing too specific. Details equaled danger to her.

So of course I had to make it my personal mission to find out as much as possible about her. I knew things already, of course, nothing from the past obviously, but things that would take place the future. I would have to prod her and Em along, but they'd get there eventually. For both of them, time was not an issue.

"Emmett!" I saw my brother's broad back in the crowd filtering through the halls toward the lunch room. He turned, grinning at me, and I eagerly returned his smile. Damn, it was good to have the real him back. I'd have to thank Kelly in any way I could, and I knew just where to start.

"Here," I said, when I'd caught up to him. I scribbled down an address in Seattle, shoving it into his hand. "Take her here. As in a-sap."

"This will take the rest of the day, Alice. It's her first day - " He began, looking doubtfully at the scrap of paper.

I shrugged. "I'll take care of it, don't worry. Just bring her to our place after for dinner." I stood on the tips of my toes, pecking him on the cheek. "And remember to drive sane, please. We don't need you scaring her to death."

Em shot me a dirty look as we met Jasper and Edward at the entrance to the cafeteria.

**oooo**

"So you liking it okay?" Mike asked, giving me an appraising look as I sat down beside Angela. I didn't like the way he was sizing me up, but he did seem nice enough. I supposed it was the new girl vibe that he was finding attractive. I kind of felt sorry for the kid; he had no clue what he was competing with.

"Sure." I shrugged, taking a large bite out of a bread stick so I wouldn't have to talk. There wasn't much of a selection here at Forks High, so I'd grabbed the only thing I could recognize, which was spaghetti and some form of vegetable. I'd have to start bringing in my lunch if I wanted to stay on a balanced eating routine.

"Yeah, this is totally the place anybody would want to be." Jessica said with a roll of her eyes. "I mean let's face it, the only guys worth going out of your way for don't even notice you exist." She shot Mike a furtive look, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You're just jealous because a certain Edward Cullen dissed you." Eric said, pointing a celery stick at Jessica.

"Like I care. He's a freak anyway. His whole family - "

"They seem really nice." I broke in, my voice hard. I couldn't necessarily vouch for the rest of the Cullens, never having spoken personally with them, but I knew Alice and Emmett, and they were far above the stupid, envious gossip of girls like Jessica. Whatever she had intended to say about the Cullens, I could be sure it wasn't going to be flattering. I had only met her that day in history, having been unfortunate enough to be sat beside her. She reminded me of Lauren, the girl from the pizza place last night. Lovely girls, the both of them, I thought as Lauren herself entered the room, casting a scornful look at our table before huffing away.

Angela's eyes followed mine to the door, grinning as the very subjects of conversation walked in.

"It's just weird, I mean they all live together!" Jessica said in a stage whisper as Alice and the tall blond, Jasper, waltzed past us, "Dr. and Mrs. Cullen are like these...foster parents slash match makers."

"Mm." Angela said, watching now as a bronze haired one, almost as tall as Jasper, followed after his sister and brother, "maybe they'll adopt me."

I found myself nodding before I realized what I was doing. Only Angela seemed to catch the movement, though, and gave me a small smile. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw the vampire, Edward I realized, turn to look back at Angela for a second, a crooked, barely there smile on his lips, before following his family to one of the lunch tables.

I looked over the heads of everybody in the lunch room, but I couldn't see Emmett. Was he absent today? Got held up in his last class? What was the reason-

"Hey," I jumped, his voice right in my ear.

"Don't do that!" I said, smacking his arm with my hand, regretting it the second my fingers started to throb. Probably not a good idea to punch a brick wall.

He laughed, and held out his hand. "Wanna blow this joint?"

I looked around at Angela and Jessica. They both looked stunned, their forks halfway to their mouths. Mike and Eric were avoiding looking at Emmett. I wondered if it was some ego thing with them - they were certainly not on par with Emmett, in any sense. "Um, sure." I said, shouldering my backpack and leaving my lunch tray on the table. "See you." I muttered to them as I took Emmett's hand.

He didn't let go of my hand, even after he had pulled me out of my chair. As we left the lunch room, I noticed many glares from girls I didn't even know sent my way. I felt a pang of pleasure at this; I had something they didn't, and that was a rarity. It felt...God, it felt so nice. It was like being normal again, like the small gesture of affection, regardless of what intention Emmett had behind it, had made my entire day worth living through.

"Where are we going?" I asked, as Emmett pulled me out into the parking lot. He led me to a large, shiny black Jeep Commander, sleek and looking like it belonged in posh sections of New York City with ease, fitting in with all the expensive, manicured cars there, while at the same time could handle the most extreme mudding excursions.

"Outie." He said, opening the passenger door and helping me in.

"Outie." I repeated, thoroughly lost, stowing my backpack under my feet.

"Yup." Emmett was around the jeep and in the driver's seat in a flash.

"You really make no sense." I said, trying to stop myself from smiling. There was so much ease between us, so much...chemistry? I flushed at that thought.

"You really make it fun making no sense." He said, nudging me softly with his shoulder.

"Now you're just being difficult on purpose."

"Now you're making it fun to be difficult on purpose."

I mock glared at him, sure there was no possible way that I could be or stay angry at him, not when that effing amazing smile was plastered all over his chiseled face.

"Alice says you're a runner." He said a moment after we'd pulled out of the Forks High parking lot and were starting along the highway.

"Alice is right." I said, wondering how Alice had had time to relay this information to her brother before lunch.

"And runners need good shoes, right?"

"Of course," I nodded, "they're the most vital tools of the trade."

"Well, there ya go." Emmett said in a satisfied sort of way, as though that answered my question.

"Are we going to be back in time for class?" I asked. It probably wasn't a good idea to skip out on my first day, but I was finding it difficult at this moment to really care. Emmett seemed to drain away any negative feelings I had. He had a real streak of adventure, and even something as mundane as cutting out on lunch seemed fun.

"Wouldn't count on it." He said, as we passed a road sign for Seattle.

"Er...are we going to be back for the rest of the day?"

Emmett flashed me another smile. I was ready for it this time though, and held tightly onto the door handle for support. "Would you be mad if we weren't?"

"Not if 'we' is inclusive of you and me." I said without thinking. Horrified, I pressed my lips together, passing my hand over my eyes. I despised the fact that around him, I completely lost my ability to keep my thoughts in my head.

"My feelings exactly." Emmett said quietly, almost too quietly for me to hear.


	6. Chapter 6

**Angela POV**

Kelly looked happy, radiant even, as she followed Emmett out of the lunch room. It was good to see her smile. Though I hadn't known my cousin for more than a few days, I was glad that she could be happy. She had been through so much recently that really, what else could I want for her?

I didn't know what kind of..relationship...she and Emmett shared, although anybody could tell that this was not the first time they'd met or spoken. There was very apparent chemistry between them.

In a sense, I was jealous of Kelly. I'd had pent up feelings for Edward Cullen for years now, and though he was friendly enough to me, really friendlier than he was with anybody outside his family, we were nowhere near Emmett and Kelly. I, inwardly, laughed somewhat bitterly as I tried to picture Edward showing up out of nowhere, grasping my hand and whisking me away. I had no delusions in thinking that he could possibly have a romantic interest in me, but hey, a girl could hope, right?

My eye strayed to the table the Cullens usually occupied, and I was surprised to find Alice looking right at me. She winked, then went back to her salad, picking at it and talking with Jasper at the same time.

_It must be lonely_, I thought, as Jasper slid his hand surreptitiously under the table and placed it on Alice's thigh. _It must be so lonely for Edward_. My gaze shifted to him, and for a millisecond, our eyes met, and in that moment that I felt that he knew what I had been thinking, however improbable that was.

It was only too clear in his eyes that he agreed with me.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

"Hungry much?" I said as the waitress appeared with a loaded tray, placing the majority of it in front of Kelly.

We'd stopped on the way to Seattle to eat. Kelly had been starving, and since I kinda took her away from her lunch, I figured hell, it was the least I could do. I was very much the gentleman these days.

Kelly stuck her tongue out at me as the waitress turned to leave, pulling the nearest plate, a cheesy enchilada, to her. "_Very _much, chief."

I raised my eyebrow, twirling a straw between my fingers. "Chief, eh?"

Kelly's smile slid off her face almost instantly. "It's...it's just something my mom used to say. She called everybody chief. It is...was...a term of endearment, really."

I reached across the table to touch her, grab her hand, something to comfort her, but Kelly slid her arm away, reaching for a fork. So something had happened to her mom...probably her dad too, or else she wouldn't be here in Forks. I felt sorry for her. I'd had to lose my family too, and though I'd gained something amazing, losing the people you'd loved your whole life sucked.

"So," She said in forced voice, "are you ever going to tell me why we're out on the open road?"

I smiled, and saw Kelly's hand clench around her fork, just like it hand on her chair when we'd had pizza...was I doing something wrong here? I was gonna have to ask Ed the next time we were all in the same room. Maybe he could tell me what was going through Kelly's head.

"Ah, well, that'd be messing up the surprise, wouldn't it? So don't worry your pretty little head about it." She looked up again, her eyes meeting mine. I swear to God, if I'd had working lungs, I'd have been suffocating. Those damn eyes of hers...fuck if I knew how eyes could have so much emotion and be that...well, that damn beautiful. Jesus, I was starting to get sappy, like those God awful movies Alice always forced me to watch.

We sat there like that, just staring at each other, until Kelly looked away, and started cutting up her enchilada. I made no move to eat, and Kelly didn't really seem surprised, like she had expected this.

"Can I ask you something?" Kelly said after she'd taken a few large bites, breaking the silence.

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Why did you do it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do what?" I shrugged again.

Kelly bit her lip, chewing lightly on it. Shit, it was hot when she did that...

"Come into my room that night."

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

Keeping my thoughts and visions from Edward wasn't hard. I'd been doing it for so long that it became second nature now, although for the most part I did let him on what was up. We looked out for each other, because we were both the same kind of freak. We couldn't control our gifts, and nobody else could understand what that was like.

So needless to say, I felt somewhat guilty hiding this stuff from him. I mean, it was _his_ future! Surely he had a right to know. But if I did tell him, he'd just mess it all up...no, I simply couldn't trust him to make things go smoothly. It seemed, yet again, it was all up to me.

Luckily for Edward and Angela, I was very much up to the challenge.

**oooo**

I don't know what possessed me to ask him that. I'd already established, firmly established, in my own mind that that night had been nothing more than a dream, than a figment of my imagination.

Emmett narrowed his eyes at me, and I could tell he was thinking. Maybe he was wondering just what in the freaking world I was talking about, or maybe...maybe he was trying to think of a way to get out of the question, the question that was too dangerous to answer honestly, because it would most likely reveal who he really was, _what_ he really was.

"You - " He began, but the waitress appeared again, with refills of our hardly touched drinks.

"Dessert?" She asked, glancing doubtfully at my still heaping plate.

"Oh, yeah." I said, my gaze never leaving Emmett, and his never leaving me, "the fried ice cream for me, and the sopapillas for him."

She scribbled on her little pad of paper and disappeared again.

"Kelly." The way he said my name caused my spine to tingle. I couldn't...I just...Ugh! I wanted to rip my hair out. I had zero control around him. Regardless of everything that I had set in my mind, first and foremost that I would no longer succumb to his charm, but demand to know the truth, It was so utterly pathetic that all I wanted to do was just be here, be by him. We sat there in utter silence for a few seconds, and then it happened. I opened my mouth, and could do nothing else but laugh. I threw my head back, slammed my fist on the table, and just laughed my ass off for a few seconds.

Emmett sat there dumbfounded, and I was sure he was wondering if I'd lost my mind. I certainly couldn't disagree with him.

"I'm sorry. I just...when you said my name it was like I couldn't even...God! It's just not even fair." I said, scooping up another bite of my enchilada to avoid saying something even more stupid than I already had.

"Uh...what's not fair?" Emmett asked carefully, as though worried I'd go off the deep end again.

I took a few more bites, pausing before I answered him. I couldn't tell him anything but the truth. I had no desire and no reason to lie to him. But what was the truth? I don't know if, at that time, I'd even had the "truth" formed in my own mind. I only knew what I felt for him, and it was so damn stupid. There was a long list of why, exactly, it was stupid, the first of which being our time together had been so short.

I sighed, finishing the last bite, taking a swallow of my Sprite. "You know what?" I said, and I reached across the table, my finger tips brushing the back of his hand, "just forget it. I'm an idiot."

Emmett shrugged again. He gently took my hand and lifted it to his face, so my hand was cupping his cheek. My fingers chilled with the coldness of his skin, but it wasn't at all unpleasant. He shut his eyes for a moment, a grin spreading across his lips. "Nope." He said with surety, "_I'm _the idiot."

**oooo**

**Angela POV**

"Angela!" I turned toward the sound of my name, Alice bobbing along through the crowd in the hallway toward me.

"Hey," I said, "sorry, I have no idea where Emmett - "

"It's the saddest thing," Alice said over me, her face pulled into a sombre mask, "I mean, Kelly getting sick on her first day? Projectile vomiting is just the worst."

I pursed my lips to keep myself from smiling. "It is tragic," I agreed, "I'm just grateful that Emmett took such quick action and got her to..."

Alice gave me a tiny, almost unnoticeable wink, "To Carlisle, you're right. _I'm_ just grateful that it's Carlisle's day off from the hospital."

"So she'll be staying in his care for...?"

Alice pulled out a sheet of paper from her bag and a pen, "Here are the directions to my house. Why don't you come pick Kelly up around...sevenish? I know! We'll all have dinner together. Of course Kelly will have to stick to her bland diet...I mean, from what Carlisle was saying, it was coming out both ends..."

We laughed together, though I was sure that Kelly would have been more than a little upset that we were talking about her so crudely.

"I'll call my mom and let her know. I'm sure she'll be just as thankful as I am to Dr. Cullen. She'll probably bake him a whole batch of cannoli."

Alice grinned. "Excellent. See you tonight then." She winked at me again, stuffed the paper in my hand, and was out of my sight before I could say another word to her.

I shifted the books in my hands to my other arm, trying to stuff the directions Alice had given me into my shoulder bag. As I turned, my bag slid off my shoulder, the top wide open, even though I could have sworn I'd zipped it shut. Half the contents of my bag spilled onto the floor around me. I groaned, sliding to the ground, trying to grab in between people's feet as they made their way to their next class or their lockers.

"Here you are," I froze for a moment, then looked up, a flush creeping up my face. Edward was crouching down beside me, extending two notebooks to me.

"Oh," I said, taking a deep swallow, "thank you." I tried to avoid looking directly at him, instead keeping my eyes on what was in his hand.

"No problem. Do you have it all?"

I swallowed again, nodding. My legs felt like jelly, my arms like they were too long for my body. I went to stand up, my foot catching on the strap of my bag. Edward grabbed my arm, steadying me. "Alright?" He asked with that crooked grin that I had grown to look forward to.

I nodded, my flush deepening. How was it that I always managed to look like such a fool in front of him?

He bent down and picked up my bag, holding it out for me. "Thanks." I said, my voice breathless, slinging it over my shoulder. I began to walk away before I made an even bigger fool of myself, cursing my awkwardness.

"Angela!" Edward called my name, and I immediately turned around, like the sound of his voice was the thing I could hear, as if I'd been living to simply hear him say my name.

"I -" He stared, looking down into my face, an uneasy expression in his eyes.

"Yes?" I said, my voice breathless.

"It's nothing." He said, shaking his head, though he still looked unsure. "I'll...see you later." And her turned and left, darting through the crowded hallway.

I blinked, utterly confused. But hey, he'd talked to me, right? He'd looked at me, noticed me...I smiled, my thoughts very much uplifted.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

I smirked as Edward's footsteps, hurried, sounded behind me. I pretended not to notice him, however improbable that was in reality, and continued to sift uselessly through my locker.

"I don't know _what_ you're playing it," He seethed, his voice too quiet for the humans around us to hear, "but for the sake of my sanity, just stop."

I turned, bestowing an innocent smile on my brother. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Edward passed a hand over his eyes. "Innocence is really unbecoming on you. Just because Emmett has lost all rational thought and is pursuing a girl he cannot logically be with, does _not_ mean I have the same twisted desire."

I kicked my locker shut with the heel of my stiletto, slinging my makeshift Chanel backpack slash purse delicately over my shoulder. "If you're interested in Angela, -"

"I'm not." Edward cut me off, his voice vehement.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Right. Well, since there's nothing to worry about on that front, could you drop this off for me?" I held out a brown, slightly scuffed up wallet. "Angela accidentally dropped this in the cafeteria. I figured since your last classes are next to each other's, maybe after school's out..."

Edward glared suspiciously at me. "If you think for one second that I don't know what you're doing," He warned, snatching the wallet away from me.

"Geez Ed, paranoid much?" I said, knowing how much Edward hated the nickname. "I'm just asking you to do a simple favor, so stop acting like it's the end of the world. Like you said," I paused, noticing how Edward's fingers were brushing the leather of Angela's wallet. Was he perhaps thinking the soft material might be something like how her own skin would feel? "you don't care about her, right?"

Edward looked up, his eyes narrowing. "I did not say that, it has nothing do to with -"

"Ah," I held up a finger, "then you do have feelings for Angela. Well good, because she's coming for dinner. So be on your best behavior." I patted Edward's shoulder, then turned away in the vague direction of my next class.

My smile widened as I heard the sharp dent of metal crushed under stone. Ah well. I didn't really need anything in my locker anyway.

**As always, feedback is love. **


	7. Chapter 7

_Well I was moving at the speed of sound.  
Head-spinning, couldn't find my way around, and  
Didn't know that I was going down.  
Yeah, yeah.  
Where I've been, well it's all a blur.  
What I was looking for, I'm not sure.  
Too late and didn't see it coming.  
Yeah, yeah._

_And then I crashed into you,_  
_And I went up in flames._  
_Could've been the death of me,_  
_But then you breathed your breath in me._  
_And I crashed into you,_  
_Like a runaway train._  
_You will consume me,_  
_But I can't walk away._

_Somehow, I couldn't stop myself._  
_I just wanted to know how it felt._  
_Too strong, I couldn't hold on._  
_Yeah, yeah._  
_Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense_  
_Out of how and why this happened._  
_Where we're heading, there's just no knowing._  
_Yeah, yeah._

_From your face, your eyes_  
_Are burning to me._  
_You saved me, you gave me_  
_Just what I need._  
_Oh, just what I need._

_And then I crashed into you..._

I would ask him the truth, eventually. I mean, even psychotic people need to have their questions answered once in a while. I would either confirm the suspicions of my sanity, or lack thereof, and when Emmett looked at me again like I'd just tried to chew my own arm off, I would know that I just had a good knack for subconscious detail.

Or when Emmett told me he really had been in my room, really had held so close to him and kissed me...a heat rose in my stomach as I thought about that. About the possibility that it had been real. Because if it had, then when were Emmett's feelings toward me? And why me, anyway?

Jesus. It was a wonder I wasn't a drooling mess on the floor, my body cranked permanently to 'fetal position'.

We left the restaurant, the waitress giving Emmett a slightly more than friendly look as he paid the bill on the way out. It was extremely irritating that girls seemed to be completely entranced by him. So I guess that made me a hypocrite, but I figured that since I was the one he'd visited more than once now, and at night no less, well, I had some claim to him, right? Or I at least had the right to be pissed off at any other girl who could be any sort of competition.

And then, of course, that made me wonder about something else. What if this was routine for Emmett? What if he just willy nilly hopped into girls' rooms left and right, like some kind of peeping Tom? It wouldn't exactly be difficult, and any woman would be mush in his able hands. But I doubted this, or at least I wanted to. He just didn't seem the type to me. Honestly, aside from the vampire thing, Emmett was very down-to-earth, and much less creepy than one would think.

Which was more than a little unnerving.

**oooo**

**Edward POV**

Murdering my sister was definitely at the top of my priority list. She had to be insane, there was no other word for the way she was acting. Encouraging Emmett to seek a relationship with a human, that was at least forgivable because at the heart of the matter Alice just wanted Emmett to be happy again; we all did. But _me_...to actually suggest that I have anything to do with Angela Weber outside of the halls of school...

If there was one thing Alice was very gifted at, it was planting little seeds of doubt in your mind and then sitting back and watching her handiwork bloom into a verifiable forest, and all the while with a smile on her face.

Stupid vampire.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

So I guess I blew it those two nights. Because if Kelly was suspicious about the first night, she must know that it was me who moved her back into her room the second.

It was clear by this time that Kelly pretty much knew what I was. What my family was. How was that possible, though? We'd been living in Forks for a few years now, and nobody was the wiser. We passed for humans. Maybe a little weird, but people usually chalked that up to us being from Alaska, what with only Canadians and Eskimos for neighbors and all that. And here was this new girl, totally fearless about us.

Well, that wasn't true. Her nightmares were the aftermath of something horrible, something that left her an orphan. I craved to know what happened, why she was so miserable, if only so I knew what I needed to do to make it better, to help in whatever way I could. Maybe I was making it too difficult, though. How could I expect her to come clean to me, to open up and let me in, when I wouldn't even confirm to her that I was, in fact, a vampire?

Maybe I was over thinking things. I laughed inwardly, as I'd never been accused of that in my entire life, human and immortal alike. I opened the passenger door for Kelly, helping her up into her seat.

"I'm not made of lace." She said, gripping tighter onto my hand. I shrugged; better to use a featherlight touch, better to be safe than sorry. Again, this was all unfamiliar territory with me. I'd never had to be gentle with Rosalie, at least not in the physical sense. This was definitely something Carlisle or even Edward would be better at.

"And I'm not...like you." I said, meeting her gaze. Trying to say so many things without saying them. To tell my secrets without scaring her, because that's the last thing I'd ever want to do.

Kelly dropped my hand, swallowing thickly. "We're probably more alike than you think, Emmett Cullen."

**oooo**

Emmett looked at me strangely for a moment, then softly shut the door, walking over to the driver's side of the Jeep at a human pace. I probably shouldn't have said that, that we were alike. I couldn't think of anything more insulting for him - for a vampire, for somebody who could be as gentle as he was strong. For somebody who could knock a girl off her feet with a smirk.

I must be so fragile to him, so breakable and unstable, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. He witnessed a nightmare, I was sure, and that is a human at their most illogical and vulnerable. When was the last time Emmett felt fear? When was the last time the pain inside ripped his heart apart? Surely he couldn't - -

And then I remembered what Angela had said. About a girl, about Rosalie. So maybe I wasn't too far off in my assessment. Maybe we were two broken people just trying to make it through the day. Although from the looks of things, of the bond Emmett had with his family, he seemed to be faring a lot better than me.

Emmett started the Jeep and backed out of the parking lot. We sat for a few moments in silence as he got back on the freeway, until I broke the quiet, trying to recover from my last words.

"Sooo...Emmett. Where are you from?"

Emmett flashed me a sideways smile. "Sorry, I don't do back story."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not fair. You already know stuff about me." At least I hadn't said much more to Alice. It was already slightly irritating that she was reporting about me to Emmett. Although I supposed I owed her in some way. Right now, this was the happiest I'd been for a long time. I pushed aside my guilt and paranoia about Emmett being a vampire for the benefit of keeping whatever sanity I had left. At least for the time being. I'd have to deal with the fact that he was still the same as the woman with fire for hair and cat eyes, the same as the monster who slaughtered my parents, eventually. But just for today, just for now, I wanted to enjoy being so close to somebody.

He considered this, then gave a consenting nod. "Alright, you ask me a question, then I get to ask you one."

"You have to tell me the truth." I said, looking over at him.

He turned his head, dark brown eyes connecting with mine for a solid five seconds before he looked back to the road. "Deal." He finally said, his voice gruff. "But ditto for you."

"Like I'd lie to you." I said, affronted, then realized how that sounded. Like I would never lie to only him, like he was something special and I'd never tarnish whatever trust he might ever have in me by lying. There was the idiot thing again. I was getting good at that.

"I know you wouldn't." Emmett replied. "It's weird. I didn't think I'd be able to say that. About another girl, I mean. Or even anybody outside my family."

I nodded, like I understood what he meant. I guess I did, a little bit anyway. "Okay." I had been dying to know if he had really seen me at the airport, if he'd had any idea then that we'd end up here. Where exactly here was even I wasn't sure, but we were at least talking. At least we were together. We had friendly banter, and I guess that's what, at this point, I'd classify us as. As friends. Brushing aside the fact that he'd kissed my neck, that he'd held me, that I'd been closer to him than any other boy in my entire life, of course.

"When I flew into Sea-Tac..." I began, and immediately Emmett chuckled.

"Yeah, I was pretty much a giveaway then, wasn't I?" He said, switching lanes to pass a slow-moving Lincoln.

"Well it wasn't just you." I shrugged. "I mean, your whole family was kind of a giveaway. No humans are that perfect. But to be honest...it was your smile, more than anything. No boy...no human boy...can smile like that." I flushed, biting my tongue. How was it that he always, _always_, managed to make me say things I would never readily admit, especially to him?

"You like my smile?" He seemed genuinely curious. Jesus, how stupid had this Rosalie chick been? Had she never told him what just a grin from him was capable of?

"I wouldn't say like..." I trailed off, grinning as he shot me a furtive look.

"Ah ah ah, you promised. No lying." He said, and for good measure, he flashed a smile that was knowing and full of laughter at the same time.

"Well, try not to rub it in," I said, when I could manage to look away from him.

"Kelly..." He said, a taunting edge in his tone.

I sighed, "_Fine_. After I saw you...after I realized what you were, and how normal you seemed...after your smile...I slept okay. I mean, really okay. For the first time since I could remember. It was because of you, Emmett. Because without even knowing it you made me feel welcome, made my entire world a little brighter."

Emmett looked confused, as though he had no clue that he could have this effect on someone. But he had to know the attention he drew to himself. Girls were falling over themselves to even catch a glimpse of him; I'd witnessed that in the lunchroom at school, and the waitress at the restaurant was definitely the type of girl who reserved herself for guys like Emmett. How could he not see this?

"You realize, don't you? The way girls look at you? This can't be the first time somebody's mentioned this to you."

Emmett shrugged. "I guess I don't pay attention. But I don't think you do, either."

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you don't. I practically had to wipe the drool off the lunchroom floor around your table earlier."

"Oh, that." I said dismissively. "Yeah...what was it Jessica said? It was like kindergarten again and I was the shiny new toy. Or something like that. I really try not to listen when she talks."

Emmett laughed. "She has it bad for Ed. I even slipped her his number. Just to make him miserable."

"How nice of you." I said, but I cracked a smile too.

"Just the kind of guy I am. Anyway, I didn't just mean about the losers at school trying to get up on you. All those things you said about the airport, they were pretty much true for me, too. What you did for me. To me. It was crazy, I couldn't get you out of my head. By only seeing you for those few minutes, it was like...I don't know. You have to understand, Rosalie was like, my whole life. She _saved_ my life. Well, I guess technically Carlisle did. But she was...I mean, she was my mate. We were together for so many years. Lifetimes it seemed like."

I dropped my eyes to my lap. I could have deduced as much, from what Angela had said. And it wasn't like Rosalie was around now, but it still stung to hear Emmett talk about her. About another woman in his life. I must be so insignificant to him...knowing me for only days, compared to having Rosalie around for years. Decades probably, the way he made it sound.

"What did she look like?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

Emmett glanced at me for a second, then went back to the road. "Blonde. Tall. Curves. I think Alice once called her Marilyn Monroe."

Oh, wonderful. So Rosalie was basically a symbol of sex. Pure lust. Beautiful. Tall. Curves. The complete opposite of me. My hair was almost black, my skin a far cry from the flawless porcelain that Rosalie was sure to have. I was thin, though I could feel my body softening in certain spots after a few days of rounded meals. Nobody looking at me would jump to alluring, would think bombshell.

I bit my lip, leaning my head back against the headrest and looking out the window, trying to focus on the passing road, to keep my face neutral. It shouldn't matter to me, shouldn't bother me. I mean, what was I really to Emmett? A human girl obsessed with him, a fractured mind and a loner. But he'd said that I helped him, too. That I had done something for him, just as he'd done something for me.

"You have to tell me what you're thinking." Emmett burst out, slamming on the brakes as he pulled off onto a side road from the freeway that I hadn't even noticed. "I'm not Edward, I don't know what's going on in your head. You need to say if you feel something, let me know. I have to know."

"How exactly would Edward know what's going on in my head?" I asked, suspicious.

"Does that matter right now? Seriously Kell, you have to talk to me." Emmett extended his hand to mine.

I didn't want Emmett to see my insecurities. To know that I was comparing myself to Rosalie. To hate that I wasn't like her, even though I didn't know her. But I did know that Emmett loved her. If not anymore, he had in the past, and that was something to contend with. I knew he would never consider me in such a romantic way, not like I did him, but it still sucked.

"I'm...wondering how she left you." It was true. I'd pondered this several times, actually. "How she could even think of letting you go." I laced our fingers together, his hand cold and large against mine.

"I'm starting to think things happen for a reason." Emmett said, giving me a significant look, and I saw a glimpse in his eyes of what he made me feel. I did have some effect on him, did mean something to him. He pulled off into a thicket of trees, a ways from the small road we'd taken. We were obstructed from view of any passersby, and my stomach fluttered at this.

And suddenly, I wanted to kiss him. Badly. I could feel the heat rising in my neck, across my cheeks. I looked up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. His eyes wide, he realized what I wanted.

"I...don't know that I'm strong enough." He whispered, his eyes closing for a brief moment. I doubted if he'd ever had to wonder that before in his life.

"You've done it before." I pointed out.

"Sure it wasn't a dream?" He suggested, but I knew better. No way was I capable of conjuring up such images, simply for the fact that Emmett was better than a dream. As ridiculous as that sounded.

I turned, pulling my legs up so I was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "You want it to, though, don't you? Even if it's just because of my blood." I couldn't deny that it was a concern of mine, that Emmett just wanted my blood. But at this point, even if that was true, I wouldn't have cared. I was all his. He could use me as he saw fit.

"Don't," He said softly, reaching up to touch my hair, tucking a tendril behind my ear. "Don't think that. It'll never be about that." He said this as a promise, almost, although I couldn't have said who he was promising; me, or himself.

"It's just a kiss. Just once, please." Although I knew I would never be able to stop. I was already addicted to this man, to this vampire. In the space of a few days, in the few hours since I'd been with him, I was totally hooked. His laughter, just talking to him. Being near him, looking at him. His eyes, looking back at me. His total oblivion to just how amazing he was, his easy smile and laid-back nature.

And it was then, that I crashed. Or rather that he crashed into me.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

I smiled, opening my eyes. Jasper, whose head was in my lap, smiled with me. "Do I even want to know?" He asked.

I pushed the blond hair off his forehead. "Oh darling," I said, "you already know. I'm basically amazing, and it's incredible that any of you ever survived without me."

"Well, there is a difference between surviving and living. I never lived until you." Jasper said, sitting up and pulling me into his chest.

"True. Man, this is going to be easier than I thought."

"Alice..." Jasper groaned. "Hasn't Emmett been through enough?"

"I'm helping him! He really likes her, and she totally loves him. He deserves to be happy. And anyway, the real issue here is Edward. He's so damn difficult."

Jasper gave a deep sigh. "Now Edward? Bored much?"

"Whatever, you know Edward cares about Angela. You can feel it, can't you? Sense their connection?"

Silence. Which meant that Jasper had to, at least, acknowledge that much.

"Exactly. I'm just prodding them along. We're all going to happy, okay? Even if it kills us. I want to show this family that Ro...that her being gone doesn't matter. She doesn't make or break us."

Jasper just held me tighter, as my emotions melded into his own.

**Song used is Crashed by Daughtry. A perfect song for Emmett and Kelly, really. Perhaps things moved a little fast with them, but I kind of like that pace. That they already mean something to each other. *shrug*. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Edward POV**

I could pick out Angela's scent easily. It was so much softer than those around her. It was sweet, like baby powder, almost. Soothing on the most primitive level. And primitive was something I understood, was almost the only thing I could understand.

One of the interesting things about Angela was reading her thoughts. For the most part, humans are utterly predictable, boorish and vain, self-centered and self-righteous, even though the majority of them tried to mask these things, to hide them. But they couldn't hide them from me. I heard everything they heard, thought what they thought, saw what they saw.

I usually tended to block most of them out, in efforts to retain any sanity or sense of normalcy in my life. With Angela, however, I found myself craving to hear her thoughts. What would her opinions be of this historical event, how had she come to the conclusion on that literature essay. Angela's mind was like glass, clear and pure and clean, and she'd been one of the few truly decent human beings I'd come across in my many years of trying to live among them.

Alice knew all of this, of course, that I felt this way. Hardly any women had piqued my interest, human or otherwise, so when I showed even the slightest bit of consideration, it really was a big deal, as they say.

Funny, really, how returning a simple wallet would end up changing my life in such a dramatic way.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

"I...don't know if I'm strong enough." I said, squeezing my eyes shut. This was new territory for me. I was a powerhouse in every way. The last time I had to wonder this is when Rose left, and even then I knew that, with my family having my back, I'd be fine, eventually.

"You've done it before." Kelly said matter-of-factly. Damn. So I wasn't as smooth as I'd thought. I figured she could've passed that off as a dream, with the jet lag and everything. Still, there was a difference in lightly tasting the back of her neck than in full on kissing her.

"Sure it wasn't a dream?" I said, raising an eyebrow. Just to be sure.

Kelly shook her head, turning toward me and crossing her legs. "You want it too, though, don't you? Even if it's just because of my blood."

Did she really think that? I got that it could be a legitimate concern, and yeah, we didn't exactly know each other inside and out, but she had to know that this wasn't about blood.

"Don't." I hesitated, then lifted my hand to her hair. "Don't think that. It'll never be about that." It came out more as a promise than anything, and I wondered who I was promising; Kelly, or myself.

"It's just a kiss. Just once, please." Kelly said, and her dark eyes were pleading.

I guess it was then that I really knew I'd never be able to say no to her. I kept both of my hands to my side, not trusting myself to hold her just yet, not when my mind would clearly be somewhere else. Her heart was thumping in her chest as I came closer to her. I automatically wanted to look at her neck, because her veins would be full by now, with her heart working so hard. They would be large and rich and as a predator, this was the moment to strike.

Except that here, with Kelly, I wasn't a predator. I wasn't even a threat to her. She was so willing to be my by side, to treat me as though I was no different than her, to act like I was human. That I was something she wanted.

She gave a small gasp as I closed the gap between us, her lips hot against mine, which must have felt like ice to her. Her heart started to slow, though, almost as if she were under the influence of a sedative, and she sighed into my mouth, parting her lips. I could feel the venom start to form in the back of my dry throat.

Then she moved her lips against mine, shifting herself so she was kneeling now, straddling one of my legs between both of hers. Automatically, my hands found the small of her back, holding her against me. I didn't know how long my thirst could be kept at bay, but I did know that this moment was more important than drinking blood. It was as though, with just her physical closeness, with her hair all around us and her body so warm against mine, she had closed any wounds that Rose had left. Maybe they weren't completely healed, but they weren't life-threatening anymore.

Kelly pulled away with a small groan, tipping her forehead against mine. "Thank you." She whispered. So I did the only thing I could do to show her _my_ thanks, something I knew she would understand. I smiled at her, really smiled, a wide grin that I knew reached my eyes.

I'd never really be able to thank her, not in any realistic way. But I vowed then and there to do whatever I could to make it up to her.

**oooo**

I licked my lips, almost trying to savor the taste of Emmett for as long as I could. I didn't know if I'd ever the get the chance again to be so close to him, to kiss him. It was so strange for me, to be here. I'd had boyfriends, of course, but they'd always been superficial relationships and none of them really held my interest in a lasting way.

Emmett was something else entirely.

And something I should hate. Something I should be afraid of and stay away from. The woman who had slaughtered my parents and Emmett were vampires. They craved the same thing, were _capable_ of the same thing.

I shut my eyes and took a steadying breath. This would matter later. I would deal with the facts after Emmett was gone. I could face reality then. _Just...just a little bit longer._ That's all I wanted. A little longer to feel this, to be as close to functioning as I would ever get.

The overwhelming sense of...almost bleeding to death, with the pain of losing my parents, hadn't plagued me in days. To have something to focus one, _someone_ to focus on, had been exactly what I'd needed. What I still needed. I couldn't have it forever, or even for hours, but I had it now. My parents would want this much for me, wouldn't they? I wanted to think so.

I really had stepped off the deep end. I took a deep, steadying breath. "I..." What else was there to say? It was the kind of kiss that made me know I'd never been so happy in my entire life, at least in that split second his mouth touched mine.

Emmett laughed. "Pretty much." He agreed. "Not bad, for a human." He said, nudging me with his elbow.

"Well you weren't that bad, either. For a vampire." I said, and he met my eye. It was the first time I'd said it, truly confirmed that I knew what he was. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe for him to outright deny it. But Emmett wasn't like that. He said what he felt, did what he wanted, and he didn't lie.

Ha! That I thought I knew him so well was laughable.

"Huh. Says you." Emmett finally said, giving me a small wink. I sank back into my seat, mock glaring at him as he backed up and pulled back onto the freeway.

"Tunes?" He said, indicating the expensive stereo system.

"Always. CD's?"

"Girl, you're living in the stone age. Here." He reached over and popped open the glove compartment, pulling out a sleek black iPod. "Largest library known to mankind. Thanks to Alice." He said, handing it to me. I pretended not to notice how my pulse ratcheted when our fingers brushed each other's, though from Emmett's slight smirk, he wasn't going to join me in my denial.

"Very nice." I commentated, scrolling through the seemingly endless lists of artists. I didn't want to pick anything too in the moment. Nothing romantic, obviously, and nothing about heartbreak. Music always had a strange way of making me realize things, of making me face things I'd probably rather not, and I couldn't analyze my feelings here. Alone, in my room, with nobody around, that's when I would work them out. So I picked some run-of-the-mill rock band, leaning my head back. I was suddenly very tired. "Listen...can we just head back? I get what you and Alice were trying to do, and it's really, really generous, but I...I can't do the city scene right now."

Emmett looked over at me, concerned, but he nodded. "Sure, angel. Whatever you want to do."

"Thanks." I said, turning to look out the window. "Wait," I snapped my head back to him, "did you just call me angel?"

Emmett shrugged.

"Uh, no thanks? That's a horrible nickname."

Emmett grinned. "It stays. Angel." And he put his hand over mine, as though with merely a touch he could sway me into accepting anything.

Well, I couldn't argue with his logic.

**oooo**

We couldn't have been on the road longer than half an hour, which meant Emmett and I hadn't been alone together all that long, but already I felt as if I were totally comfortable in his presence. We were just hanging out, really, listening to music, laughing about the other drivers. It was though we'd been cutting class for years together, really. We'd made a quick stop at a gas station, and I'd made the mistake of loading up on Dr. Pepper. It went through me worse than coffee.

"Alright chief, I'm about to commandeer this damn vehicle. I've gotta piss like a racehorse, and you're driving like my grandma after she's been drinking. It'd really throw this whole lady-like facade I'm trying to pull off to have to pee in this." I shook my empty Dr. Pepper bottle at him.

Emmett looked, for the first time since I'd met him, worried. "And...uh, how long would you say we have until the big event?"

"T minus two minutes. Tops." I said, grinning at his obvious discomfort. I guess it really had been a long time since he'd interacted with a human girl. Not that I wasn't up to actually peeing in a soda bottle. I'd been on a mostly male track team since jr. high, and you get desensitized quickly. We attended track meets all over the state, sometimes in the greater six or seven state area, and we'd only ever flown twice. The other times it was my entire team and three coaches jammed on a big yellow, and bathroom stops weren't as frequent as they legally should have been, in my opinion.

I'd actually always gotten along better with boys; they were less drama, in the long run. When boys were pissed at each other, they slugged it out and moved on, completely forgive and forget about their troubles. There was no mindless backstabbing, and much less talk about things that bored me to near death, like clothes and makeup and shoes.

"Well, there's a restaurant up here, if I remember." Emmett said, and I knew he was hoping he was right. I thought it was hilarious that he was so uncomfortable. But I guess being a vampire, he hadn't had to worry about things like this in some time.

"There it is." I said, jabbing my thumb toward an exit sign that listed a few generic restaurants and a Holiday Inn. Only half a mile from the exit, we got there in no time and Emmett slid into the nearest parking spot he could. The restaurant, a 24-hour cafe, was busy this time of day. Emmett opened the door for me, and to keep from grabbing his hand as we walked into the restaurant, I folded my arms across my chest.

"How about a milkshake or something?" I asked Emmett. He nodded, and I left him to get us a table and made my way to the restrooms, which were in the back according to the large blinking sign.

I made it quick, trying to avoid my reflection as I washed my hands, but I looked up at the last second. My face was flushed, which was, no doubt, from Emmett's presence. My hair was damp from the rain, my lips slightly chapped. They still tingled from Emmett's kiss, and I couldn't help but shivering at the memory of that moment.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and went back out into the restaurant. Emmett was sitting at a both across from the bar, and the second I pushed open the bathroom door he looked up, as though only seeing me.

He wasn't the only one; a girl at the bar, who had obviously been eyeing him, followed his gaze to me, narrowing her heavily lined eyes at me. I could practically hear her disgust as I took the seat across from Emmett. I smiled at her, reaching across the table for Emmett's hand. She may have legs that most men would drool over, especially in the short skirt she wore, and she may exude a raw sexuality even when sitting, but I had something, at least right now, that she didn't.

Emmett was with me, if only for the moment, and not her. For whatever reason he was drawn, in some way, to me, and that was far more valuable than blue eyes and D cups any day.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

"So what's her problem?" I asked Kelly in a low voice. The girl at the bar was, and had been, staring daggers at Kelly.

"Eh, she's appalled that you're with me. Wait, scratch that; she probably can't spell appalled. She thinks it sucks that you're with me."

I cocked an eyebrow incredulously. Why would some random chick even care that I was sitting with Kelly?

Kelly rolled her eyes, as though annoyed that I didn't understand. "Don't you know? Hot people are only supposed to be with other hot people. She can't imagine what you're doing with...with someone like me."

So maybe Kelly wasn't hot, not in a conventional way. But hot chicks were a dime a dozen, a dime a thousand. Kelly wasn't hot, she was beautiful. So she didn't wear tight clothes and loads of makeup, so she was more athletic than feminine. She was still everything that I was coming to understand I wanted.

"You don't think you're hot?" Kelly asked, her arms folded across her chest.

"Never said that." I replied, "but I never said you weren't."

Kelly rolled her eyes again. "Details, Cullen," she said, waving her hand dismissively, and I could tell that she didn't really believe that I found her attractive. This was annoying, but chicks had insecurities, I guess. "Besides," Kelly continued, "it doesn't matter, really. I know what I'm not, so I guess it only matters what I am."

I nodded, because I had to agree. I was starting to understand that it didn't matter how Kelly wasn't like Rosalie, but it was how Rosalie wasn't like Kelly that mattered. And honestly that went for every other woman.

So it'd only been a few days that I'd known Kelly. So it was insane that a human and a vampire would have any sort of relationship outside of hunter and prey. So it was insane that I just kissed a girl I'd known for less than a week.

I think the insanity of it all was what made the most sense. It felt right, and I was sick of not letting myself feel things because of Rose's abandonment. Maybe this would all end horribly, and maybe it would be the best thing that happened to me.

It was time to let the chips fall where they may, or what the hell ever the saying was.

**oooo**

**Angela POV**

I had wanted to do something more exciting with my appearance, but I'd been too nervous, too preoccupied. So it was nearing six in the evening and I was pulling down the long, flagstone driveway that led to the Cullen's house. Well, house, I suppose, was a relative term. Manor would have been more appropriate, or mansion.

It was a sprawling house set on acres of what had once been horse property. A fair size of the back lawns were kept expertly manicured, lined with hedges of rose and lilac bushes, and an impressive five or six gigantic weeping willows. Though none of my classmates had ever been to the Cullens' before, their yard was something the town always talked about. Mrs. Cullen made frequent trips to Olympia and even to Oregon for specific gardening tools, and I'd heard there was even a greenhouse on their property, and Mrs. Cullen had special plants imported from around the world.

I pulled to a stop on the side of the house, catching sight of my wallet as I reached over to lock the passenger side door. I smiled, remembering how Edward had waited for me after class, bestowing a rare smile on me as I made sure he was comfortable with me coming to his house for dinner.

I blinked, trying to regain myself. I was already scared of looking like a fool in front of not only Edward, but his entire family. I lifted out the batch of canoli that, as I'd told Alice, my mom would make to thank Dr. Cullen for 'taking care' of Kelly while she'd been sick. The front door opened, and Edward came down the stars, moving with his usual ease.

"Hello," he said as he approached me, "may I help?" And before I could reply he'd gently slid the cookie sheet from my arms and into his.

"Thanks," I said, it coming out more breathless then I'd intended. His eyes, the color of honey, met mine, holding them for a solid moment.

"Anytime." He finally said, leading the way into the house. He held the door open for me, with his free hand. The entryway was, in one word, beautiful. The walls were a terra cotta stucco, the floor a dark brown brick set in large, swirling patterns. There was a large, black wrought iron boot tray that held different size and colors of golashes. On either side of the door were small stained glass windows. An emerald green and ivory oriental patterned rug lay in front of the door, and an ornate mirror with the same scroll work as the boot tray hung on the wall opposite the door. A very pleasant smell permeated the whole area, a slight mixture of freshly baked bread and a little bit of Edward's cologne.

A voice called vaguely from deeper in the house, and Edward beckoned me forward with a wave. "My mother is...quite excited to meet you." He said, something in his voice reminding me of the way he usually spoke about Alice. "The kitchen is just up there." We walked side-by-side through the wide hallway which was hardwood floors and neutral walls.

I pursed my lips, trying not to feel as though I was the new girlfriend meeting my boyfriend's mom for the first time. It was ridiculous to think that Edward would even think of me as anything more than a fellow student. No sooner had I thought these things than his hand found the small of my back. I was pretty sure my heart skipped a beat or two.

"By the way, you look very nice." He said, and before he could say anything else Mrs. Cullen came sweeping before us.

"Not nice, Edward, lovely. She's lovely." Mrs. Cullen was wearing tan slacks and a navy blue cashmere pullover. Her chestnut hair was free-flowing to her shoulders, and the only jewelry she wore was a gold wedding band and a delicate golden necklace. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and was all smiles. I noticed that, like each of her foster children, Mrs. Cullen's eyes were amber. A shade or two lighter than Edward's, but still the same general tone.

"Mrs. Cullen, nice to meet you, I'm- "

"Angela, dear, of course. Edward and Alice have told me so much about you. And please, it's Esme." Mrs. Cullen took me by the elbow and gently lead me into the kitchen.

I returned her smile, feeling at ease in her presence. I felt welcome, and it was probably something I shouldn't feel, because if I felt that I was wanted, then I would have a difficult time keeping what distance between us Edward would surely want. It sucked having feelings for somebody who was so far out of your league they hardly knew you existed.

Edward set the pan on the marble countertop, turning to face me with a furrowed brow, as though I'd said something he hadn't agreed with, though I'd said nothing at all.

"Dear, would you go find your father? It's rude to keep a guest waiting." Esme dismissed Edward, and they stared at each other for a moment, as though silently conversing, before Edward finally shrugged and, giving me one last glance, left the room.

"That's better. Just us girls. Brownie?" Esme gestured toward a pottery plate filled with my favorite brownies, with creamcheese frosting and rainbow sprinkles. I wondered vaguely if I'd ever mentioned this tidbit to Alice, although I doubted it; we had never, as far as I remembered, talked about food.

"Thanks," I said, and Esme smiled again, and I couldn't help thinking that this was truly a mother's smile.

**oooo**

After my milkshake, the ride back to Forks seemed to take no time at all. Emmett ran the heat, and I'd put on some instrumental music. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew Emmett had pulled in front of a large house and was opening the passenger door for me. Nobody was home, although this wasn't odd. Dr. Cullen was probably at work, and Alice, Jasper, and Edward were at school. Emmett was vague about where Mrs. Cullen would be, but I would meet everybody officially later anyway, so no worries, he'd said.

So we whiled away the time by a tour of the yard, and Emmett had even shown me a huge greenhouse that housed exotic plants I'd never even heard of, let alone seen. Apparently, Mrs. Cullen (Esme, Emmet had informed me) was a huge gardening enthusiast, and excelled in this field. She also grew a lot of plants and herbs that Dr. Cullen used for some of his holistic approaches to medicine.

"This...this is nice." I said, as Emmett and I took a seat on a swinging wooden bench near a line of quaking aspen trees. He slid his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned back against it.

"Agreed." Emmett said, and we sat like that for a long moment, before Emmett turned to me, a boyish grin on his face. "Hey, you wanna see my treehouse?"

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

Kelly rolled her eyes as we approached the lattice arbor set in between two of Esme's favorite weeping willow's. "This is the most pathetic treehouse I've ever seen."

"Well, it will be a treehouse. Someday." I shrugged, dropping down onto the grass, my hands behind my head. "After I get some wood, or something. That's what treehouses are usually bulit out of, right?"

"Wow, that definitely sounds promising. At least you know where to start." Kelly said, plopping down next to me. She was quiet for a few seconds, then she reached out, fiddling with the bottom of my sleeve.

I swallowed thickly, then pulled my long sleeved shirt off, revealing my plain tee shirt under it. I wanted Kelly to touch me, my skin. The warmth her fingertips held was very inviting.

It seems...easy for you." She said, tracing patterns on my bicep with her finger tips. I waited for her to explain. "It's just...it drove _her_ crazy, being around humans. She...she lost her mind." It was the only time Kelly had ever said anything about her past experience with vampires. "She killed my parents without batting an eyelash. And yet...your family...it's kind of amazing. _You_ are amazing." I could feel her eyes on me face, but I didn't trust myself to meet them, because I knew I couldn't trust myself not to pull her close, to kiss her and spill my guts that she was becoming my whole world. These feelings were scary enough for me to face, I didn't want to scare her off in the process.

"It just takes practice. And you have to want to resist." I shrugged. "After a while, you don't really notice the thirst."

"So...you don't want my blood?" Kelly asked, pulling her hand away from my arm.

Christ, could there be a more loaded question? My lust for Kelly- for the warm, thick blood that pumped through her body, for the taste of her skin as I sank my teeth into her neck...as I tore at her wrists...it was an instinct, an automatic response to her scent, to her closeness. But then there was the very undeniable fact that Kelly was easily the most interesting human I'd ever met. She was weirdly unique and even though she did a good job of hiding it, emotionally vulnerable on intense levels. Her eyes killed me with every glance, so deep and open, like they were open just for me. The one kiss I'd had with her was actually like having just one drop of blood; it left me wanting more. I'd been born into this world to be a protector, and now I felt like, with Kelly, I could finally do that.

"Uh," I said, scratching the back of my neck. "Rock," I held up one of my hands, "hard place," I held up the other, "me." I nodded toward the space between my hands.

"You are a rock." Kelly said, nudging me in the side.

"So?" I said, catching her elbow and running my palm up her arm, entwining our fingers.

"So, as usual, you're making no sense." She said, then gave a small laugh. "But I guess not much makes sense about us."

I shrugged, but before I could say anything Kelly opened her mouth, an embarrassed expression on her face. "Not that there is an "us", I mean, I don't expect you to care about me like that, or at all, I just mean- "

"Dinner!" Alice appeared, and screeched from the porch.

Kelly sighed. "I'm...just an idiot. Well, time to play Keep Away with the truth." She didn't sound very enthusiastic about having to lie to her cousin, but I also knew that the Weber's had no clue about what had happened to Kelly's parents, so lying about vampires wasn't exactly new territory for her.

"Yep," I stood, pulling Kelly up with me. "Got your game face on?" I looked down at her, my arms around her in an instant, stealing one more moment of closeness.

She swallowed thickly, her hands gripping my sides. "Always." She said, giving me a genuine smile that I couldn't help returning.

**As ever, feedback is appreciated. **


	9. Chapter 9

_you're so, hypnotizing _

_could you be the devil, could you be an angel_

_your touch, magnetizing_

_feels like I am floating, leaves my body glowing..._

**Esme POV**

This was what I had always wanted. A house full of happy children, each of them finding in somebody what I had found in Carlisle. I had thought that Edward- quiet, reserved, too-intelligent-for-his-own-good Edward, would never find anybody to make him really smile, but Angela's presence seemed to be having this very effect on my son. He was in his element, the picture of a true gentleman.

And then there was Emmett. I had been sure that Emmett was completely happy with Rosalie, that he would never, that he_ could_ never, look at another woman the way he had her. I'd hoped, of course, over the past few months- it was evident that she wasn't coming back, at least not soon, and what mother wouldn't want her child to know joy again? So seeing Emmett be tender, seeing him caress Kelly's hair and all-but cradle her to his chest, made my heart soar.

"I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you spying on him." Carlisle said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, but there was a smile in his voice.

I flicked the curtain shut, leaning back into my husband's embrace. "I don't think he even noticed. He doesn't notice much else, when she's around."

"Told ya so!" Alice came prancing, looking extremely proud of her self.

"She's been a nightmare, honestly." Jasper complained, but as he could only ever look at Alice as though she were the center of his world, we knew he wasn't serious.

"Why don't you call them for dinner, Alice? Everything should be about ready."

Alice grinned again and dashed from the kitchen to the back porch.

"Well, this should be interesting." Jasper muttered.

**oooo**

"Number one thing you have to know," Emmett said, pulling me back to him by my hand when I started to walk towards the house, "we don't drink human blood. Ever. I just...wanted you to know that."

I raised my eyebrow. "Then what do you eat? I mean, I've done research Emmett...what I could get my hands on anyway, and I've never come across anything about an alternative diet."

"Animals." Emmett said simply, and a piece in my mind clicked into place.

"Your eyes...that's why they aren't red. Animal blood, it does this to you? I wonder why that it is...mammals are mammals, wouldn't you think?"

Emmett shrugged, as though he'd never really given it any thought. "All I know is that our family is rare. Only a few other vampires that I know try to live this way."

"And..." I began tentatively, "why do you live this way?" Not that I was complaining. But I was very curious as to what made the Cullens so different from the majority of vampires.

Emmett shrugged again. "At first it was because of Rose...because of Carlisle. He's the one who figured out he could live on animals, you know? But then I started to think that maybe it was okay, trying to blend in with the humans, because some of them," he nudged me, "aren't that bad."

I wasn't really surprised by his answers, because anybody could see that the Cullens had no desire to harm humans. They were peaceable, and I'd known from the first second I'd seen them that they were different, even if I didn't understand just how much differently they were from a typical vampire.

"The animal blood...does that satisfy you?"

"In most ways. Human blood makes us stronger, doesn't leave you wanting more as much. It takes more animals to stop the hunger."

"So...you have had human blood before." I didn't say it as a question.

Emmett searched my face for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah." He didn't elaborate, and I didn't want details. I had known the answer before I'd asked the question, and it made me more than a little uneasy that I didn't mind that he'd...I mean, he'd killed people! How could this not matter to me? Really, all I could think about was the gentle way he put his arms around me, the coolness of his lips. Emmett hadn't made a move to hurt me since I'd arrived, and he hadn't hurt anybody in Forks...the lives he had taken, really it wasn't that much, when it came down to how he resisted the temptation every day. And I knew it wouldn't be like her. Emmett would be quick with his kill, it would be clean. There would be no pools of blood, no broken screams and cries of pain.

Here I was, making a case for a vampire...but if I faced reality, I didn't view Emmett as just a vampire, or really associate him with that title at all. He was just Emmett, funny, down-to-earth, strikingly good-looking. He was the only person who could comfort me, and he'd been the only one to give me a reason to smile in the past few months.

"So...what's your favorite, then? Your favorite animal?"

Emmett grinned mischievously. "Bear. Not just any bear; grizzly."

I tilted my head, trying to picture Emmett taking down one of these gargantuan animals. I didn't know who had the greater advantage here. Emmett's muscles left little doubt in my mind to his strength, but bears were...well, bears. It wouldn't be a fight to miss, that much was for sure.

"I'd pay to see that." I said, shaking my head.

"No." Emmett said with such vehemence that I stopped dead in my tracks. "Over my fucking dead body."

"Alright," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I...I'd never be able to...when I'm hunting, I'm all instincts. Anything, anyone, is prey."

"Including me."

"Including you. I would never let that happen. _Never_." Emmett came up to me, tugging on a tendril of my hair.

"You guys are taking about fifty years, so hurry up, would you? The food's getting cold." Alice appeared at the back door again, and Emmett rolled his eyes, but we hurried to the house.

He brushed his hand along the small of my back as he held the door open for me, and I couldn't help but think it was a gesture of apology.

**oooo**

**Edward POV**

Angela's thoughts were a bit disquieting. I'd known of her feelings for me, of course, though she only thought of them briefly and never in much detail. The things she was thinking now, though, how I'd never return her feelings, how could I care for somebody so below me, like she was...it wasn't pleasant, to say the least, and it wasn't true.

The fact of the matter was, I very much cared for Angela. Perhaps not in the typical, conventional way of wanting to take her to a horridly overrated movie and slipping my arm over her shoulder in a pathetic attempt to be subtle, but in my own way. I wanted to know her passions, to talk about music and books and world issues. I wanted to make her smile, for her heart to flutter with my nearness. I wanted to spend time with her, to be able to offer her comfort in times of fear or of hardship.

I didn't know how to approach these feelings, much less act on them. It was utter insanity that I should want to be these things for Angela. I was dangerous- my entire family was dangerous- and if she were to find out our secret, surely she would want nothing more to do with us.

It was quite disrupting, then, to watch Emmett and Kelly interact. Kelly knew about us, had known from the minute she'd seen my family at Sea-Tac, and if anything this wasn't something holding her back from Emmett, rather it had been a foundation on which they had started their relationship. If it was possible for Emmett, why shouldn't it be possible for me?

After all, as Alice so frequently reminded me, I deserved to be happy too.

**oooo**

"Hey." I said to Angela. She and Edward were seated at the long dining room table, which looked to be an antique piece. The table was set with beautiful pottery dishes, and I held one up, admiring it.

"These are lovely." I said, running my finger along the edge of the plate. They were smooth and perfect, handmade, but done so by somebody with experience.

"Thank you," A woman from the kitchen said, setting down a basket filled with cornbread. "Where are your manners, Emmett? The poor girl is probably thirsty, and you haven't even introduced your family."

"Forgive his rudeness," Edward stood, extending his hand. "I'm Edward."

"Right," I said, shaking his hand. Edward was...regal, as though he'd just stepped out of a different time.

"I'm Esme, dear, it's such a pleasure to have you in our home." Esme said with sincerity, and she came up and hugged me.

I stood shocked for a moment, but Esme was pure kindness, and I could tell that she truly did want me here. "Did you make these?" I gestured toward the table.

Esme waved her hand dismissively. "Oh yes, pottery is one of my hobbies."

"You have a very artful touch...the greenhouse, the yard, you did all of that, too?"

Esme nodded. "Well, I'm a hobbyist to say the least. Now, you must be hungry?"

Edward pulled his chair out for me, and I sat next to Angela. "Thanks." I told him. He smiled and nodded, moving to the chair on the other side of Angela. Emmett stood in his path, though, unmoved from where he had been when we'd entered the house.

His arms were folded in front of his chest, his eyes boring into Edward's. "Well, then do it yourself next time." Was all Edward said, attempting to pull his chair out, but Emmett had blocked one of the legs with his foot.

Emmett opened his mouth but Esme pulled on his arm. "Would you get Kelly and Angela a drink?" Emmett grunted, looked like he wanted to say something to Edward, but turned and left into what I could only assume was the kitchen.

"So, Kelly, how are you liking Forks?" Esme said, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Oh, it's...' I trailed off with a shrug. Things flashed through my mind, my mother and father's funeral, the first foster home I was in, one of nine children crammed into a three bedroom house...the first time I was caught running away by the cops, after two days of living on the streets...my nightmares of the red haired woman, of the blood...and then of Emmett, of seeing him at the airport, of his smile that unhinged me...the feel of his arms around me, knowing with his closeness that I was safe...rain pounding on the roof of his Jeep while our foreheads were pressed together... "A nice change." I said, and Angela squeezed my hand.

Edward was looking at me with a sort of fascination, as though I'd just been telling a wonderfully engaging story and he wanted to know more. "Alice mentioned you were from New York. Do you mind being away from the city terribly?" Esme was now passing around the cornbread, which smelled amazing.

"You guys...cook?" There was a question in my voice. I mean, the Cullens lived outside of town, presumably so they wouldn't be watched by their neighbors, and probably so they could be closer to the wildlife the woods had to offer. They wouldn't need to use their kitchen which was more for show, I was sure, than anything else.

"Of course we do," Edward said with an easy smile, "doesn't everybody?"

I considered myself warned, to watch what I said in front of Angela. Edward gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod as soon as I'd thought this. I narrowed my eyes at him, but at that moment Emmett came back from the kitchen, holding two glasses of lemonade. Behind him was Alice, followed by the tall blond that had to be Jasper, and the man from the airport, obviously Dr. Cullen. Like Esme, he radiated kindness.

"Hey Kel, Angela!" Alice said, setting down a bowl of coleslaw and quickly pecking Angela and myself on the cheek. "This is Jasper." Alice said, waving over her shoulder. Jasper nodded at me, proceeding toward the end of the table. "Uh, nice to meet you." I said, but he didn't acknowledge me. Emmett, who had taken the seat next to me, squeezed by knee under the table in a reassuring gesture. I guessed there was more to Jasper's story, things that couldn't be shared with Angela around.

I felt somewhat guilty, though, deliberately keeping something from Angela. She and Maureen were all that was left of my family, and it just felt wrong, somehow, because I could tell that Angela liked Edward. Not only that, but Maureen was my aunt, my mom's sister, and didn't she have some right to know what had really happened to her?

"This is my father," Edward said, gesturing toward Dr. Cullen. I'd always associated doctors with old men in lab coats and superiority complexes, but Carlisle was young, attractive just like the rest of his family, and had a very comforting aura around him. My first impressions of him at the airport were correct close up as well.

"Dr. Cullen, right?" I said, taking his extended hand.

"It's Carlisle, please."

And so commenced what could only be described as pleasant. Esme had made a delicious Southern style meal, with pulled pork sandwiches, fresh coleslaw and baked beans with molasses and bacon. I couldn't believe how good of a cook Esme was. She was easily on par with Maureen. It was a bit amusing to watch the Cullens attempt to eat; Carlisle and Esme were a little more out of practice than their children, but then Alice, Jasper, Edward and Emmett had to feign eating lunch almost every day at school.

Interested, I watched Emmett shovel food into his mouth. Jasper would quickly do the same, only with a bit more. Just a little bit, one bite, maybe a spoonful. Emmett would glare at him, and then wolf down another sandwich, or gulp and entire glass of lemonade. Across the table, Alice just grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

Edward and Angela, it seemed, were in a world of their own. They were discussing some historical non-fiction book that Angela had recently read about ancient Egyptian geometry. Edward was thrilled that Angela had even heard of the book, let alone actually read it. After a few seconds of trying to follow their conversation, I turned to Esme and Carlisle, who were full of questions about my life in New York. They were careful to never mention my parents, but they would ask me things like, where did I like to eat the most, what was my favorite thing to see when I was in the city, did I have a favorite museum. Occasionally Esme would appeal to Emmett and Jasper to not embarrass her in front of guests, but she knew a lost cause when she saw one.

We were talking about my favorite movies when Emmett broke into our conversation. Him and Jasper having cleaned every plate and bowl until there was nothing left, he seemed to have been the victor because Jasper was looking sullen, Alice's head on his shoulder. "You like movies?" Emmett asked.

I nodded. "Very much. It's one of the best things about the city, a lot of films open in theaters there that aren't released nationwide."

"Then you gotta see this." He stood, pulling me up with him.

"Er, excuse us, I guess." I said to Esme, and she smiled again, one of tenderness.

Emmett lead me out of the dining room and up a set of spiral stars. We came out into a large living room, with overstuffed suede couches and armchairs gathered in a half-circle around the largest flat screen I'd ever seen. Underneath was a dark wood entertainment center, and through the glass panels in the doors I could see various gaming systems. The walls were built-in shelves, and every inch of them was covered in DVDs. There had to be thousands of movies in this room.

I stood in awe for a moment, before dropping Emmett's hand and rushing to the nearest wall. I ran my fingers over the cases, reading titles I'd never even heard of. A lot of the movies were foreign, and a lot were classics. This was a collection like I could only dream about. Back home, my real home, when my parents were alive, we usually spent any extra money that came along on going to art openings, or doing things in the city. Living upstate was nice because we got the best of both worlds. We had a decently sized home, a nice yard, and were only a train ride from one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Having an art dealer for a mother was a great experience, because I'd been shown worlds I wouldn't have had the chance to see if my mom had chosen a different career path, but our DVDs weren't very numerous and wouldn't have filled even a small section of the Cullen's library.

"This is amazing." I said, turning back to look at Emmett. He was leaning against the wall, a slight grin on his face. "So," I said, gesturing toward the shelves, "which is your favorite?"

"As if. I can't just pick one, and you, fellow movie buff, know it."

"Okay okay, dumb question." I agreed. It was probably one of the hardest things to do, to pick a favorite movie. That would involve picking a favorite genre, and I could no more favor horror over comedy, action over psych thriller than I could deny my absolute attraction to Emmett. I pulled out a movie, giving a nostalgic sigh. "D'you know what movie I love?" I held it out to him as he came to stand beside me.

"Oh dude, no way." Emmett accepted the case, shaking his head.

"Right? But you know, the whole allure of that movie...I mean, what girl wouldn't want a king to fall in love with her? And Bowie can sing, no doubt."

Emmett laughed. "Guess I have to agree. Hoggle gives me the willies, though."

"Duh. When he's peeing in that fountain? Totally creepy." Emmett slid the movie back in its place.

"What about...this one?" Emmett started to pull one out.

"Oh my god, have you lost your mind!" I shoved the movie back into place. "No. Way."

Emmett looked bewildered. "What? What's the matter?"

"Seriously? You can't be serious." I said, my hand on my forehead.

"What, the movie? You didn't even see what it was! Girl, please."

"Bro, I don't need too. It has this demonic feel to it." I backed away from where Emmett was standing. He grinned, pulling out the movie too quickly for me to see.

"I love you Kelly, take me home with you!" He mimicked in a perfect imitation, holding the case in front of his face.

"Holy shit Emmett Cullen, don't even! Don't do that again!" I half shrieked, half gasped. We were both laughing so hard I almost couldn't breathe, and then Emmett tackled me to the ground. We laid there, a tangle of limbs, until I'd regained my breath.

"Care to explain why one of Steven Spielberg's most lovable characters sends you into hysterics?" Emmett asked, his fingertips lightly pressed into the pulse throbbing in my wrist.

"Well, I...okay, for one, he's creepy as fuck! And I used to have these nightmares. I mean, tell me you wouldn't be batshit crazy scared of something if you kept dreaming about finding its head in a box."

"You have a thing for nightmares, don't you." Emmett said in a quiet voice.

I sat up, giving a big swallow. "Yeah...yeah I guess I do." And I wanted to say that now, it wouldn't be so bad because I had somebody who could chase away those nightmares. But I knew my time with Emmett was short, that sooner rather than later I'd realize my grave mistake, and that was getting in too deep, because Emmett Cullen was at the most basic level addictive. I'd never done well with moderation in the first place, and now this...

Besides those points, when it came down to it, really, I was nothing more than a human girl with issues and problems he wouldn't want to deal with. I was damaged goods, and Emmett deserved somebody just as amazing as he was.

"Let's head outside for a bit. Alice said the stars are supposed to be kickin." Emmett said, standing up and holding a hand out for me to grab. Easily he pulled me from me the floor, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze, as though he knew what I had been thinking.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

At the end of the day, my brothers really should have been kissing the ground I walked on. Without my help, they'd both still be moping, miserable messes without a shred of fashion sense. But now, here they were, each on what could only be described as a date, with a girl so perfect for them it was almost painful.

And I knew a lot about perfection, having encompassed it most of my life, at least what I could remember of it. So as an expert, I could really have an objective view of the whole issue.

Beside me, Jasper raised an eyebrow at me. Clearly, he didn't agree with my self-proclaimed ability to be objective about this. He raised his other eyebrow. Okay, about anything concerning my family. Still, I knew Emmett and Edward inside out, even Jasper couldn't disagree with that. It had been sheer luck, of course, that Kelly had come to us at this time. I loved Rosalie, even after everything she'd put Em and everybody else through, but there was just something about Kelly that seemed to click with Em in a way he and Rose never did.

It was a little early, maybe, to be making these judgements, but time is immaterial when you can live forever. When somebody affects a vampire, it is almost instantaneous. If Rose had still been around, I wondered how this all would have turned out. I didn't see Emmett staying away from Kelly, but I also couldn't see him betraying Rose in any way. Because Emmett wasn't like Rosalie; he wasn't selfish.

Emmett was innately good, and he deserved somebody who would grant him the courtesy he always granted them; Emmett deserved somebody who would always put him first.

Edward, on the other hand, had different needs. He needed somebody soft, like Angela, soft and patient. Angela's intelligence was a draw for him, I knew, and if tonight was any indication, they wouldn't be running out of topics to debate or discuss any time soon.

In short, Kelly and Angela were exactly right for my brothers, for my family. Perhaps it didn't make the loss any less, but Rosalie's absence wasn't what our world revolved around right now, and I would do everything I could to make sure it wouldn't be again.

**oooo**

Alice had been right. It was a clear night, not too cold, either. The stars were so bright out here, the sky so clear. It was vast, and I felt insignificant under the massive universe that lay above me. Emmett and I were on our backs a ways from the house, the grass under us soft and springs and immaculate.

"Look!" I said, raising my finger as a star shot across the expanse. "A shooting star!"

"Whoa, a long one too." Emmett said, and I fought the urge to reach out to him. "You know, my pops used to say that a shooting star was a soul going to heaven." Emmett turned on his side to face me.

I nodded once. "I like that. It's...it makes you feel like you're not so alone. Like even though it's so big," I gestured above me, "maybe somebody up there, somewhere, is watching over you." Unable to resist at least looking at him any longer, I also turned on my side. "So, should we wish on it?" I asked. I was such an idiot; what use would a vampire have for wishes? He could have anything he ever wanted, really. I doubted anybody alive would deny Emmett Cullen anything.

Emmett gave a half-smirk. "What would you wish for?"

I had so many answers to that question, I honestly didn't even know where to begin. But in that moment, with Emmett's caramel eyes drinking me in and him being so close, I could only think of one thing. What I wanted...the logical answer would be for my parents to be back to me. To have never died. But really, right that second, what I wished for was to be lost in Emmett's warm eyes, to pursue the promises of each of his smiles. To be allowed to kiss him whenever I wanted. To have Esme's hugs, Carlisle's kind eyes, Alice's enthusiasm, Edward's chivalry...all within my reach, because they were Emmett's family, and if he loved me, I could be a part of that. Most importantly, I could be a part of him.

And I knew how unattainable it all truly was. I really was so insignificant in their world...in their world where human things, time and money and emotions, were of little interest...merely specs on the horizon.

"Something I can't have." I said in a whisper, our eyes locking.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

Kelly's eyes were so dark in the night, so deep. If I was ever going to keep some control around her, I'd have to suggest she wear sunglasses all the time. "Something I can't have." She said in a soft voice, and I hated the things that passed through those eyes. Pain, and what seemed to me, a lot of longing.

"Anyway," she said, clearing her throat and sitting up, "I should, uh, probably head. I don't know what time Maureen expects Angela and I to be home."

"You're good. I can still hear Angela and Edward chatting it up. 'Sides, I'll take you home. Be all...gentlemanly or what the hell ever."

Kelly looked like she was deciding something, then nodded. "Then...then I'm just going to stay right here. For now." She slid back down on her side, closer to me now, her head resting on my bicep. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes close. She must have been really tired, but then it had been a big day for us. "It's really unfair," she mumbled, and I could tell from the way her heart was slowing that she was falling asleep. "Entirely unfair, actually."

"What is?"

"The way you smell...the way I fit against you...I want to believe that you smile just for me. That I...affect you...the way you affect me." She gave a small yawn, and I pulled her closer into me.

"You have no clue." I replied, my cheek against her hair.

Kelly was quiet, her breathing even. I wondered what made her think that I wasn't totally gaga over her, because I really was, when it came down to it. She was interesting, funny, unlike any girl I'd ever met, human or vampire. She wasn't hot in the way Rose was, not with outrageous curves or long blonde hair. Her skin wasn't flawless and I could probably kill her with just a second of lost control.

Kelly was the kind of beautiful you had to work for to understand. She was strong in ways that Rose wasn't, she was down-to-earth and that was something I really wanted. Kelly wasn't vain, she didn't mention her looks much, aside from the first night I was with her and she agreed that she was too skinny.

She made me happy. In just the few days that she'd been in Forks, it seemed like my life had done a 180. Alice and Esme said all the time that some things are just right, and I was pretty sure that applied to me and Kelly.

The back door opened and Alice came running out. "Angela's gone home, Edward saw her out. Carlisle's called Maureen and told her he'll give Kel a once-over, then send her on her way. He wasn't too happy about my using him so Kelly and you could skip class, but whatever. So you should probably drop her off."

I nodded and picked Kelly up. She was still, and the only time I'd seen her this relaxed was the first night I'd come to her, trying to calm her down after her nightmare. I shifted her so her head was tucked into my chest.

Alice's hand flew to her heart. "This is...I've never seen you like this." She said, tilting her head to one side. "It's...adorable."

"Stop being so annoying." I said, shoving past her, but she just laughed and skipped to catch up with me.

"Just run her home. Maureen will be in bed, and Angela in the shower. It'll be quieter that way, you can just go in through her window. She didn't leave it open, but busting the lock shouldn't be a problem. Just watch yourself, lover boy."

I ignored Alice, picking up speed as I ran by the house. In no time, it seemed, I was outside the Weber's, the house dark and quiet. I gently jerked open Kelly's window, sliding the window open as the lock cracked and gave way. I easily hopped inside, holding Kelly against me with one arm, pulling the blankets on her bed down with the other.

I laid her down, Kelly reaching up and grabbing onto my arm as I turned away. She tugged, and I didn't need telling twice. I slid in next to her, and Kelly pulled herself to me, her hand grabbing at my shirt. She inhaled deeply for a few moments, and I was pretty sure she was smelling me.

"Stay with me." She murmured, her forehead against my chest, her hand still curled in my shirt. I looked at her, her hair falling over her cheek, her cedar and citrus smell making my mouth water, the warmth of her body against my skin.

"Always." I said, a sleepy smile the only indication that she'd heard me.

**As ever, feedback is greatly appreciated. Okay guys, so E.T. OHMYFUCKINGGOD. I can't...you guys. I've been afraid (like, irrationally so) of E.T. since I can remember. I think he is the creepiest mofo ever. Kelly's nightmare about find his head in a box? I HAVE THAT DREAM ALL THE TIME. And it's not like "hell yeah I killed that fucker and now his head is in a box". It's like...terror and I wake up hysterical. It's not even...ugh. **

**ANYWAY. Ignore the fact that I'm not psychologically sound, and just uh, hit that review button. **


	10. Chapter 10

..._boy you got my heart beat runnin away_

_beating like a drum and it's coming your way...  
_

My dreams were skewed. Snippets of bloodshed, soothed away when I felt the firmness of Emmett beside me. My mother spoke to me in another, telling me of the first time she'd met my father. It'd been love at first sight of course, as I'd been told countless times by her.

My father was holding me in a bear hug, whispering "go," in my ear, "go, be happy," but I couldn't be sure what he was talking about. I wanted to believe that my parents wouldn't begrudge me happiness with Emmett, but then that hadn't been an issue, really, to begin with. It was about me and my hate, my guilt, my anger at being left behind. My own struggle with vampires.

I knew I couldn't just let this go, let Emmett go. I felt a sense of surety with him, something that had been missing, and sorely so, from my life. I loved the rush of butterflies in my stomach when our eyes met, the heat that prickled up my spine with his closeness. Just his voice could make me smile. Maybe I didn't have to give it all up, and maybe I didn't have to submit completely. I had time to work this out, and anyway it wasn't like Emmett had asked me to marry him or anything. We weren't serious.

Except that he was in my bed. And we'd kissed. And I felt closer to him than any guy I'd ever dated or liked in the past. Most importantly, I felt safe with Emmett. I knew nothing could hurt me while he was around, that the woman with flaming hair and bloody lips wouldn't be able to haunt my dreams or get close to me, if she were so inclined. Emmett would fight for me and protect me and he was pure strength, and that was what I really needed.

God, this is what I had moved to Forks to avoid. I'd wanted a simpler life, with less complications, somewhere I could finally start to feel comfortable.

Well, I guess that's what I got, really, as since my mother and father's deaths, I had never felt more at ease than when I was with Emmett, or really with Angela and my aunt.

"Remember, Fate works in mysterious ways." My mother used to say to me, bending down to hug me, and I could smell the light flower perfume she always wore on her neck.

The neck that was to be ripped out by an animal, shredded like paper and-

"Morning." Emmett said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He had one of my hands held in both of his. I took a deep breath, letting the coldness of his fingers run through me.

"Yeah, whatever." I mumbled, rolling over onto my back and stretching.

"What, not much of a morning person?"

"It's not that. I'm just comfortable and I'm totally dreading the thought of school. Sorry for passing out like that, by the way. Next time I'll try to stay awake until we make it back here at least."

"You...want there to be a next time?" Emmett asked, looking oddly at me. My stomach dropped at this.

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Why, don't you?" There I went again, with my idiotic assumptions, thinking that just because I wanted Emmett, that because I enjoyed spending time with him, he wanted the same thing.

"No, I mean yeah, of course, it's just...I didn't freak you out? My family didn't like, freak you out? And uh, you're not scared of me?"

He was probably referring to the fact that I now knew, without a doubt, that he'd killed humans before. I'd shared with him a bit of the circumstances of my mother and father dying, more than I had with anybody else anyway. Was he wondering if I would now associate him with the brutal vampire who attacked my family?

"Always. I'm terrified of you." I saw the slight slump of Emmett's shoulders. "But not for the reasons you think, you lummox. I'm scared of losing my self to you. But," I conceded, looking up at him for a brief second before dropping my gaze again, "I think it's a risk I'm willing to take."

And it was. I couldn't stay away from him, not even if I wanted to. I felt better, healthier, than I had in months. Coming to Forks was like finding a home again. Maureen was like a piece of my mother, and Angela the sister I'd always wanted but never could have. Emmett was...how did I even begin to describe what he was to me? I know it sounded so ridiculous, because I'd been here less than a week, but it felt as though...as though the final piece of the puzzle had clicked into place. I felt like the loss that my mother and father dying had left in my life could be made up for, to a significant extent, and besides I was sick of trying to face everything and deal with everything by myself.

Even if nobody else could understand, even if I could never tell anybody about the true circumstances of why I was here, having people around me who could be my home, and much more that wanted to be, was enough.

"We won't be around today. It's gonna be good weather. Sunny, you know?"

"And since I missed yesterday I guess skipping today is out." I muttered, falling back onto my pillow. Assuming that the part of my research where vampires were said to have skin like a thousand diamonds that sparkled in the sun was correct, I could see how the Cullens would need to maintain a low profile when the weather was decent. Although I may just pay to see Emmett sparkle.

"Yeah...probably not a good idea. I won't be there to keep you company in detention."

I snorted. "Right, like I'd ever get a detention." Okay, so that wasn't entirely true. While I was being shifted around in the CPS foster home system, I'd done my fair share of illicit activities, on school property just as well as off. Detention was something I was fairly familiar with.

"Just mind your manners and play nice with the other kids."

"No promises." I said, thinking of Lauren and Jessica. Just then, my alarm went off, declaring it to be six thirty. Glaring at the thing, I yanked the cord from the wall.

"It's going to be light soon." Emmett said, and I felt his finger tracing circles on my knee.

"God this blows. Alright, fine. Begone, Emmett Cullen. I hereby banish you from this bedroom."

Emmett stuck out his lower lip. "As in forever?"

I couldn't help laughing. "Just go!" I nudged him with my foot.

"Alright alright." He said, waving me off, as he pressed his lips to my knee cap. A small shiver went through me that had little to do with the coolness of his mouth.

Before I could say anything else, Emmett was at my window. "Have a good day...angel."

I opened my mouth furiously, but Emmett winked and disappeared. Besides, it wasn't like I was actually mad about the nickname anyway.

**oooo**

Knowing that Emmett and the rest of the Cullens wouldn't be there made me dread school even more. It was nice to be around people who I already somewhat knew, and besides that, the Cullens were charming and made me feel at ease with being in a new school.

Angela and I had ridden in with Maureen, who was on her way out to run the salon for the day. Angela had drifted off to the library, and as I hadn't felt like joining her, I remained in the front lobby area of the school. There were a few wooden benched pressed up against the plate glass windows that led the way into the office, and I sat with my back against one of the panes, waiting for the bell to ring.

"So..." I heard a voice say, and I looked up, seeing Mike there. "Good first day yesterday?"

Considering what had happened, I'd have to say it probably topped the list of best days period. "Uh, yeah. Except for being sick. But I'm cool now."

"Good. Listen, Eric and Tyler wanted to go paint balling this weekend, with some guys from La Push," I perked up at this. At my old school, the one I'd gone to when I still lived with my parents, my group of friends would hit the paint balling range a few times a month. It was something I never really excelled at, but I enjoyed nonetheless. "And I was thinking that it'd be cool to maybe go see a movie instead...I heard Port Angeles is doing a Leo marathon."

I raised an eyebrow at him. Was he totally serious? He wanted to blow off paint balling to check out some 90's chick flicks? I wondered vaguely if this was him coming out to me, although I had no idea why he'd spill that to the new girl. Then I realized, as his eyes darted around awkwardly, that he was waiting for confirmation that I too thought this was a brilliant idea, and that I'd love to go with nobody else but him.

"Uh, I don't really...chick flicks aren't really my thing..." The bell blurred above us, and I quickly stood, grabbing my bag, "have Eric and Tyler hit me up for the paint balling thing though. Sounds fun." Without a backwards glance at him, I hurried out of the lobby and down the nearest hallway.

**oooo**

**Alice POV**

"Did that just happen?" Edward, who was seated at the chaise in front of the piano, looked up from his collection of sheet music.

I clutched at my side, trying to keep it together while laughing. "Well, it totally will. He will majorly tank. I bet she'll think he's gay now." I hadn't really planned on keeping an eye out for Kelly's future, but when someone in my family was invested, I figured it was the least I could do. Honestly, where would they be without me?

"Who's gay?" Emmett said as he skidded to a stop in front of us. I rolled my eyes. Ever since Esme had laid down the granite floors in this part of the house, Emmett had taken to wearing thick socks and "gliding" all over. He really was like a kid sometimes. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Nobody." I said shrugging. It was obvious that Mike was just blindsided by having somebody new in town, but he'd get over it quickly, especially when Kelly's severe disinterest was coupled with Emmett's territorial instinct.

Edward smirked. "Looks like you've got some competition, mate."

"Say what?" Emmett looked from me to Edward.

"It's nothing. Mike just...well, in a round about way, he's going to ask Kelly out."

Emmett's face dropped, his honey eyes taking on a deeper hue. "I'm sorry, did you just say that some tool is trying to get up on Kelly?"

"Most definitely that is _not_ what I said."

"Did he touch her? Try to? Oh man, I'm going to rip his arm off- "

"Will you relax? I see the future, remember? Technically he hasn't done anything yet. And anyway, have you forgotten the part where Kelly is like, totally gaga for you? Do you really think she has that low of standards? Mike is like an amoeba compared to you." I shoved Emmett in the chest. "Don't be some macho bafoon."

Emmett glared at me. "Bafoon? Spell bafoon." He challenged.

I swung around to face him, my hands on my hips. "Since my spelling skills aren't really what's in question here, clearly this will have to settled the civilized way."

Emmett crossed his arms over he chest. "Clearly."

"Mario Kart it is, then."

"Indeed."

Edward shook his head after us, but a small, crooked smile was playing on his lips.

**oooo**

Thankfully, Mike made no further mention of his little pow wow idea and didn't approach me any more during the day. His pride had probably been wounded, but really, was the kid clueless? What about anything in the very short amount of time I'd spent with him made him think I was remotely interested? I'd tried to be nice about letting him down, but social skills weren't exactly my thing, and it wasn't like I'd spent massive amounts of time easing away from hoards of gentlemen suitors.

And then I wondered about Emmett. Would he know what had happened without me telling him? But he'd probably get a kick out of it. Maybe he'd even have a good comeback if there was a next time that Mike asked me out.

I joined the lunch line, scanning the tables for the Cullens even when I knew they wouldn't be there. But I still hoped. Angela and the Cullens were my only friends here so far, and if the rest of the school turned out to be like Lauren and Mike, they would be my only friends. I would be fine with that- I never liked massive social circles anyway- but it still made it a little lonely on days like this.

Angela waved me over to her table as I exited the lunch line, my tray packed with a grilled cheese, a handful of curly fries, two pints of milk, and a massive cookie. I was starving, and since I had started gaining some of my weight back, I figured a day or two of junk food couldn't hurt.

I sat down beside Angela, and everybody raised their eyes at my pile of food. "Hungry." I shrugged, ripping open a ketchup packet and pouring it over my french fries. Angela smiled and offered me a small tub of coleslaw, turning back to the conversation as I returned her smile.

Apparently some guy had said this or did that and Jessica was offended, and how dare he and blah blah blah. I tried to lose myself in my lunch, thinking instead of what Emmett was doing right now. Maybe he was out hunting grizzlies, although I wasn't too sure how many of those were around this area of Washington.

"And I really was this close to calling the cops on him." Jessica finished, a satisfied smirk on her face.

I choked on melted cheese as I tried to conceal my laughter. Jessica's eyes flashed to me, reduced to slits as I tried to maintain my composure and failed. Epically.

"What?" She demanded, crossing her arms defensively in front of her.

"Sorry," I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin, "but why exactly would you call the cops? I mean yeah, they're specially trained to with people like you, but- "

"With people like me? And what exactly do you mean by that? And remember that we're not your precious Cullens, we won't just fall head over feet for you."

So this is why they didn't like me. Jessica, and Lauren, they were jealous that I was becoming close to the Cullens and they weren't. "What does this have to do with the Cullens?" I pressed, wanting to hear the words for myself.

"Like it matters, I mean who even cares what those freaks think anyway?"

"That's not fair Jess, just because you don't know them doesn't mean they're freaks." Angela broke in.

"As far as I can tell, they aren't the freaks around here." I said angrily. This is exactly why I avoided making friends with girls. They were judgmental and bitchy and moody, the smallest thing setting them off. They couldn't stand it when another girl got something they wanted.

"Sorry new girl, but nobody hit your buzzer." Lauren said, her arms too folded across her chest. To say she gave me a look of loathing would be an understatement. I could literally feel her dislike radiating from her.

"My name is Kelly." I said through gritted teeth. Lauren had been nothing but a bitch to me since that first night in Pizza Oven. It wasn't difficult to figure out her game. I suppose I couldn't blame her too much; Emmett was the top of totem pole here, and since I was new on the scene, Lauren probably felt like she had dibbs before I did. It didn't surprise me that she would consider him property.

"Your point being? I mean, am I supposed to give a crap?"

"You may not, but Emmett does, and that's your beef isn't it?"

"Right, like we could care less what the Cullens think." Jessica chimed in, rolling her eyes.

"And just so you know,_ Kelly_, Emmett and I had something going before you dropped in on us. So don't forget that."

I raised an eyebrow. This was news to me, as Emmett himself- or anybody else, for that matter- had never mentioned Lauren beyond passing. Was she really trying to low blow me?

"What are you even talking about? He's never said anything about you. Doubt he remembers your name." I said with a shrug.

"Now you're just pissing me off. Look, that dumb bitch Rosalie left her man, so he's up for grabs. And guys like Emmett Cullen don't go for ratty little rejects like you. Just look at you!" Lauren laughed, gesturing towards my clothes. I dropped my eyes to my clothes. Jeans with slightly worn knees, a loose black long-sleeved, turtle neck thermal. Sneakers that I'd had for two years. It was the norm for me, clothes that I was comfortable in. I'd never had much interest in fashion, or trends, and anyway why would I want to waste my money on trivial things like clothes?

"And don't even get me started on your hair. Split-ends much?" Lauren twirled a lock of her own silky, curled hair around her finger.

I ran my palm down the length of my hair. It was pin-straight, as always, and I had scarcely done more to it than running the ends through my flat iron after it'd dried this morning. Again, what I usually did with it.

"Not to mention," Jessica chimed in, "that you don't have an ounce of make-up on. The whole natural thing is so two thousand three."

I was about to retort, when Angela placed a hand on my arm. "Want to come with me to the lab? I've got an article to turn in." Angela was so calm-tempered, patient and even when she was mad, which I could tell she was, she didn't show it. She was peaceable and knew that the best option was to steer clear of the situation, to stay out of trouble. Or maybe she just knew that it was best to keep _me_ out of trouble. I'm sure she and Maureen had heard a few things about my past that I wasn't exactly proud of, and knowing that I had in the past thrown punches first and asked questions later, Angela was just looking out for me.

"Sure." I said, shoving the rest of my sandwich in my mouth. I picked up a milk pint to drink on the way, and without a backwards glance I followed Angela from the lunch room.

**oooo**

**Jasper POV**

"They are so pathetic." Alice growled, stomping around the living room. Emmett and Edward had gone out for a hunt, Esme was visiting Carlisle at work, and it was just the two of us here. I was hoping to put some use to our time alone, but Alice had seen some girls say something about Kelly, and after that she'd been in a bad mood and nothing I could do would sway her out of it. In times like this, it was better to just agree with her.

"They are," I said with a nod, "they're just jealous. They don't see anything special about her, so they don't understand why Emmett would, either."

"I mean, alright," Alice huffed, "the clothes thing, they have a point, but who in the hell are they to judge? Look at them! Shopping at the Gap does not mean you have fashion sense. And anyway, like Em really cares about that. I bet he couldn't tell you Gucci from Chanel, and that's just sad."

I nodded again, not even sure I could spot the difference, but that was beside the point. Alice was protective of the people she cared about, to inhuman (obviously) degrees. I didn't know why she seemed to care so much about a girl she'd hardly spent any time with, but when Alice was invested in something, that meant I was invested in it as well.

"I've got it! We'll just throw a party."

I raised an eyebrow, not entirely surprised by this declaration, as parties and shopping were Alice's go-tos to fix most situations. I didn't, however, see how this could help the girls of the high school stop gossiping about Kelly and telling her she wasn't the right sort of girl for Emmett.

Alice rolled her eyes at my expression. "And I'll totally doll Kelly up and those morons will see her and Em having a great time, and they'll lay off. Yes," Alice clapped her hands together and started to head upstairs, "that's exactly what we'll do!"

"We'll?" I groaned, "and where are you going now?"

"Hello, if there's going to be a party, I need to find something to wear." She hopped from the bottom of the staircase to the top, in a single, graceful leap. "And I was thinking of starting with what would be appropriate lingerie underneath what will surely be the most amazing outfit anybody's ever seen...you in, Hale?"

And all Alice had to say were the words "Hale" "lingerie" and "in", and I would do anything for her. And she knew it.

**oooo**

School had been pretty shitty, but finally the last bell of the day sounded, releasing me from the bonds of a hellish day. Angela said I was being dramatic when, on the walk home, I compared Jessica to a terroristic threats, but she nudged me with her elbow and I realized that I finally was around somebody I felt could be my friend- a real friend. And better yet, I actually had a blood tie to her.

Angela went upstairs to find some book she was using as a reference for her latest history paper, and I offered to make us a snack. Hanging up my bag, I kicked off my shoes and went into the kitchen, surprised at how much this small yet cozy house felt like a home to me.

"What are you making?"

I gasped, gripping the butter knife and whirling around to face Emmett, who was leaning against the fridge.

"Ever heard of using the front door?" I said, catching my breath. "Way to scare a girl to death."

Emmett smirked. "I'd go for the butcher knife next time. Much more intimidating." Emmett said, moving toward me. " 'Sides, you look pretty healthy to me." He brushed one hand down my throat and across my collar bone. I flushed, my heart quickening at his touch. "See? A strong pulse."

I glared at him, turning back to the counter before he could see my smile.

"So, what is it?" He asked again, coming around to sit at one of the bar stools and gesturing toward the assortment of food.

"Only the greatest invention known to mankind." I said, drizzling honey over a piece of bread. "PBH and B."

Emmett raised an eyebrow, and I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, seriously? Peanut butter, honey, and banana. It's pretty much the best sandwich ever. I'd better tell Angela it's ready." I set down the honey and started toward the stairs to Angela's room, but Emmett grabbed my hand.

"I wouldn't. She's...not alone. Edward just had to tag along."

I groaned. "Oh god, they're not like...doing it, are they?"

Emmett grimaced. "Probably not, but thanks for the mental picture. I'll never be able to unsee that."

I laughed. "Hey, if I have to think it, you have to think it."

"Not even! Just because you're a perv does not mean you have to taint my innocent mind."

I snorted. "Innocent? Riiight. You and me both." I came around the counter to stand next to him, putting the finishing touch on my sandwich.

"Well," Emmett smirked, and my pulse skipped as his eyes met mine, "I can't say all my thoughts are purely innocent."

"Told ya. You're pretty much a nym-" Emmett cut me off, pressing his lips gently to mine. He tasted even better than I remembered from the day before, his rain-washed pines scent all over me, his hands, hesitantly at first, coming to rest on either side of my waist.. He started to pull away, but I gripped the front of his shirt, pulling against him, dreading the moment when the cold softness of his lips was gone.

"And that's why people have codes. Next time, leave a sock on the door handle or something."

I pulled away from Emmett, Angela grinning at me. Edward, behind her, winked at me, and I tried not to flush in embarrassment. I'd practically thrown myself at Emmett, wedging my body between his legs as he stayed seated in the bar stool.

"Hey, we're fully clothed." Emmett said, giving my hip a squeeze as I moved away and into the bar stool next to him.

"Your sandwich is-" I began, but Angela waved me off.

"Edward said he wants to try out a new Italian place they opened in Port Angeles. You guys game?" Angela looked at me in a clear "if-you-say-no-I'll-cut-you" kind of way.

"Uh, sure. Always down for some Italian." I shrugged, looking over at Emmett.

He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, flashed a knee-dropping smile, and glanced back at Edward. "Sure, babe. Anything."

"Don't call me babe." Edward said in a sickened tone, already leading Angela out of the kitchen.

"Touchy touchy." I muttered, and Emmett chuckled. He grabbed my jacket that hung by the door, and gestured for me to follow Angela to the curb where sat the most beautiful car I'd ever seen. It was a dark, dark blue, looking like it had it just come out of the showroom. It was polished and completely unblemished, glimmering in the afternoon sunlight.

"Whoa." I said, as Emmett opened the passenger backseat door.

"Show off." Emmett said through gritted teeth. Edward smiled, but didn't make any other show that he'd heard Emmett. The interior of the car was, if it were possible, even nicer than the outside. It was all suede, kept in pristine condition. I highly doubted that the backseat had ever had any occupants. There was the most elaborate stereo system I'd ever seen in the front dash, and after a quick consultation with Angela, Edward settled on a type of music and Linkin Park blasted through the speakers.

"This is really nice," I said, running a finger along the soft suede. "I mean, it's like it's never been touched. It's so soft...so warm..." Emmett's eyes were wide as he watched my finger.

"What? I'm just saying that it's like nobody's ever ridden-"

"Stop there cuz, just stop." Angela said from the front seat. "The Vanquish is far above any innuendos. Besides, I think you're going to give Emmett a stroke or two."

"You are all disgusting." I said, leaning back in the seat and folding my arms over my chest.

Emmett laughed and draped his arm around me, pulling me closer to him, and then we were off, my cousin and I on a double-date with the vampires that we were both falling for, though it would be some time before either of us made this omission out loud.

**So sorry for the ridiculously long delay. Updates should, hopefully be more frequent for the next little while. As ever, feedback is appreciated. **


	11. Chapter 11

_I thought I could resist you_

_I thought that I was strong_

_Somehow you were different from what I've known_

_I didn't see you coming_

_You took me by surprise and_

_You stole my heart before I could say no_

_You leave me speechless_

_(the way you smile, the way you touch my face)_

_You leave me breathless_

_(it's something that you do I can't explain)_

_I'd run a million miles just to hear you say my name..._

The drive was smooth, the interior of Edward's car kept at a perfectly comfortable temperature, the music not too loud, and he never seemed to let an awkward silence last too long. Edward was, as I'd seen the previous evening, a complete gentleman. I wondered for a moment how old he was, what period of time he lived as a human. His eyes met mine in the rear view mirror, his eyebrows raised in open curiosity.

Angela was talking about the coming exhibit at a planetarium is Seattle, and Emmett, who'd sent a text off to Carlisle and Esme to let them know where we were, put his phone back in his pocket and then turned, tilting his head towards me, as if wanting to share a secret. "I'd watch the old noggin when Ed's around." He said, lightly tapping my temple.

"What, like he can read my mind or something?" I rolled my eyes, but Edward held up his left index finger in an _Ah Hah_! gesture.

I sat back as Emmett and Edward exchanged small smirks. Well, it wasn't the most outlandish thing I'd heard. I'd read a few things about vampires with "talents", as the extremely biased book called them. The author was a known occult researcher, somebody who studied supernatural beings like werewolves and vampires and black magic witches. As with all research material, regardless of the topic, it was hard to take something seriously that wasn't, for the most part, neutral on the topic.

Still, you couldn't discount a lot of what the author had said, as I'd witnessed first hand the violence, the speed, the hunger, that she also attributed to vampires. If vampires did possess special talents...if every vampire inherently had speed, agility, blood-lust...if they were the prefect predator and had gifts on top of that...what had _hers_ been?

Edward's eyes narrowed in concern and curiosity from the rear-view mirror, but I looked away, tilting my head onto Emmett's shoulder. His scent surrounded me, and his arms were marble, strong and sure, and as he ran his palm down the length of my hair, I let out a sigh of relief. Pulsating red eyes and flaming hair were, at that point, the farthest thing from my mind.

**oooo**

The restaurant was lit up in the dark, strings of white icicle lights hung over the entrance. The smell coming from it was making my mouth water, and Angela and I hurried through the door that Emmett, beating Edward to it with a satisfied smirk on his face, held open for us.

Inside, Edward put our names on the waiting list while Angela and I, with a grin to each other, raced to claim the small bench in the waiting area. We ended up in a slight jumble, Angela half on my lap and my arms pinned behind hers.

"I can see it now," Edward murmured, looking us over. "Your resemblance."

"Took you long enough, Captain Obvious." Emmett rolled his eyes, his gaze meeting mine. I felt my breath catch, felt my pulse quicken. What was even more pathetic than my constant reaction to him was that he could probably hear the pounding of my heart.

Edward made a small gagging noise, and I remembered a second too late what Emmett had warned me about in the car. On the other hand...this could be a fun game. How would Edward like reading my thoughts when I was thinking about, say, the cut of Emmett's bicep? Or the way Emmett had brushed the small of my back when we kissed in the Jeep, or how-

"Alright, I think the hostess is ready for us," Edward said, his eyes narrowed at me, his face pulled into a grimace.

He held his arm out to Angela, who untangled herself from me, a blush creeping its way across her cheeks as she gripped Edward and they followed the hostess, who had appeared with a smile (aimed, of course, more at Edward and Emmett than at Angela and I) and menus. Emmett reached over and took my hand, entwining our fingers together. Gently, he brushed his thumb across my knuckle.

"So, what made Ed squeamish?" He asked, and I froze for a second before shrugging. I hadn't considered how Emmett might feel about me mentally ogling him.

"You know. Just thinking about girl stuff. Cramps. Tampons. The usual."

Emmett laughed, slugging me softly on my shoulder. "Way to get 'em, Angel."

A warmth spread through me at my nickname, and I was sure I was beaming like an idiot. Well, it wasn't _all_ my fault. Emmett affected me like I never believed possible. What would I have missed if I'd have put my fears of the past between us? If I would have grouped him in with...her. But they were night and day, as different as was possible. Again, I knew with a surety that Emmett would never hurt me. He'd never be someone I'd have to fear- it just wasn't in him to do that, at least not anymore.

"God I'm starving." I said, sliding into the booth next to Emmett. He pointed to something on the menu- mushroom ravioli. I wrinkled my nose, batting his hand away. "I do not eat fungus, thanks."

"Kelly has this thing about vegetables." Angela shrugged. "How she's so dang skinny when all she eats is junk food, is beyond me."

"She could stand to gain a few pounds." Emmett said, nodding. "Hear that, Angel? You'd better get some meat on your bones."

"Yeah yeah," I muttered. I was trying to gain weight, and had managed to pack on a few more pounds in the little while since I'd been in Forks. I knew the type of woman Emmett preferred, or at least I thought I did. Listening to descriptions of Rosalie, it was obvious we could not be farther apart in looks and build.

The waitress appeared, raising an eyebrow at Emmett and Edward. The look on her face spoke very plainly that she couldn't believe her good luck at getting not one, but _two_, very hot guys at one table.

"Ready to order?" She said, a bit breathlessly.

Couldn't really blame the girl, it had to be somewhat blindsiding to wait on somebody like Emmett, especially considering the rest of her clientele. Across the table, Edward grimaced in a way that said "what about me?". Alright, so Edward wasn't anywhere near ugly, but he was Angela's type, not mine. He smiled at that- clearly he didn't mind being my cousin's type.

"The chicken parmesan and a raspberry lemonade- and can we get our bread sticks? I'm going to die of starvation." I said, flipping my menu closed and handing it to her.

"Uh, okay. And you, sir?" She addressed Emmett, giving him an appraising look- one that I was used to already. It would be the nature of the beast, I'd decided. Even if Emmett didn't want to take our relationship- or whatever we had- to the next level, and he just wanted to hang out, to stay friends, I'd have to get over other people checking him out or flirting with him.

"Ah, ditto. Girl has good taste." He reached behind me to hand the waitress his menu, his arm falling around my shoulders.

Edward and Angela ordered their dinners, the waitress leaving with several backward glances at our table.

"Well she was very..._friendly_." Angela said, nudging Edward.

He smiled at her. "Happens a lot, for whatever reason."

"Oh yes," Angela nodded, "can't imagine why." She winked at me across the table.

"It must be terrible to constantly have beautiful women fall at your feet." I said, leaning back against the booth.

Emmett laughed. "For Ed? You're joking, right? Angie is the first one who isn't a total freak."

Angela flushed, but she didn't deny it- how could she? The only one who was more obvious about their feelings was me.

"Regardless, those sorts are a dime a dozen and I couldn't be less interested in them." Edward said.

"So what you're saying is that the girl who does catch your interest, will be something really special." I said, raising an eyebrow at Angela.

Edward nodded. "Singularly so. Not just smart, but curious too. A true lover of knowledge. A girl with a sense of humor, somebody who doesn't take things so seriously. If she had lovely dark eyes and liked to spend her weekends at, say, planetariums and libraries, I certainly wouldn't complain."

Angela raised her eyes to meet Edward's, and I felt perverse, almost, for being present during such a private and intimate moment. Emmett went to open his mouth, but I squeezed his knee. No doubt he wanted to ease the moment with a joke, but Angela deserved this declaration.

The waitress had reappeared with a tray of drinks and a basket of warm bread. She set them down, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Anything else, gentlemen?"

"We're good." I said, and she quickly took in Emmett's arm around my shoulders and how close Edward and Angela were sitting.

Looking somewhat crestfallen, she nodded. "Your dinners will be out soon."

"Way to ruin her night." I said, kicking Angela lightly under the table.

Angela laughed, picking up a piece of bread. "You're one to talk. I think she almost fainted when Emmett took his jacket off."

I turned to look at Emmett, who was wearing a black thermal shirt that fit him so expertly, that clung to each and every muscle of his torso and arms, that it had to have been made just for him.

"Well," I said, reaching over him for the bread basket, "I certainly can't blame her."

**oooo**

The check was paid, Edward pulling it out of Emmett's reach as soon as it arrived. The meal had been excellent, and I was extremely content in this moment. Angela, too, looked as though she could stay here, at Edward's side, forever.

I glanced at Emmett, a measuring look on my face. I tilted my head towards Edward, then tapped my lip- right where my canine teeth were- lightly. He sighed, but gave a small nod- probably he knew the sooner this was over with, the better.

"So I heard something weird," I started, and Angela and Edward both stopped and turned to me. Edward's mouth was clenched and he glared at me. "I was just thinking, when I watched CNN the other night there was something about the full moon, and that of course led to all that blah blah blahing about werewolves, and when you talk about werewolves, you have to bring up the vamps, you know?"

Angela nodded. "Typical, yes, but are you sure it was CNN? That doesn't sound like the type of new they'd be interested in reporting."

I waved my hand. "Maybe it was a local channel. Anyway, what do you think, cuz? About vampires, I mean."

Edward's eyes were amber, hard and cold. Next to me I felt Emmett shrug, as though to say just chill and see where it goes. It wasn't like I planned on jumping onto the table and screaming to the restaurant that not only were vampires real, but Edward Cullen happened to be one, right here, in the flesh.

Edward relaxed somewhat at hearing these thoughts, though I could tell he wouldn't forgive and forget that easily.

Angela said, mulling it over, "If vampires exist at all, I think probably the vampire that's portrayed in book and film is wildly inaccurate, at least to most degrees. I'd like to think that vampires are definitely above the instinct level of a zombie."

"More like...say, Stefan Salvatore? I mean, he IS the one you have a poster of in your room, right?" I said innocently. Angela threw her balled up napkin at me, but she was chuckling.

"Hey now, Stefan's an alright guy." Edward said, and Angela and I wore matched expressions of surprise.

Emmett shook his head. "Dude, I TOLD you. Don't ever admit that you watch that show."

"Well, Alice basically forced it on all of us, you know." Edward shrugged.

"So you think Elena should be with Stefan?" I asked, pointing my fork accusingly at him.

"Of course he does, he has a brain, doesn't he?" Angela answered for him.

"God help me, Stelena shippers." I said, shaking my head.

"So you're a Damon fan then, are you?" Emmett said, and Edward burst out laughing. "Thought you weren't supposed to admit you watched that show?"

Emmett glared at him. "I said you shouldn't admit that. A man of my caliber, however, can admit he watches whatever he wants."

"Okay we are so not discussing this right now! C'mon, we should all go for a walk. There's a bookshop just around the corner I want to check out."

"Stelena fans can't stand arguing- and losing- to Delena ones." I said in a stage whisper to Emmett, who shut his eyes and nodded in agreement.

**oooo**

**Angela POV**

Later, I would probably swear I was in a dream. Edward Cullen taking me out for a lovely dinner, telling me he fancied me? Admittedly he hadn't said those exact words, but the way he looked at me, the way he spoke...it was everything I had ever day dreamt about.

And now here we were, his crooked smile across his chiseled face, as we debated whether Lincoln or Washington had been the more fascinating President. The American History section of this book store wasn't the most impressive I'd seen, but it beat Forks High library, and I couldn't have pictured a more perfect evening if I'd tried. Edward tucked a book about early abolitionists under his arm, claiming he'd have to be on his toes if he wanted to truly discuss this issue with me.

Edward suddenly turned, casually (if anything Edward ever did could be considered casual, of course) encircling my waist with his arm.

"Tanya." He said, tipping his head toward a woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere. She was an inch or so taller than me, with golden hair that fell in perfect ringlets down her shoulders. She wore a silk blouse and black slacks, gold flats and on a delicate silver chain around her neck was a diamond snowflake. Her skin was as pale as Edward and Emmett's, but if she was who I thought she was, the lack of Alaskan sun would do that to you. Besides, we were all pale in Forks, so who was I to judge?

"Edward. Such a pleasure to see you again, it feels as if it's been an eternity." Her eyes lingered on him, before turning to me. "and this is your little...friend?"

"Angela. Nice to meet you. You're family to the Cullens, right?" Edward had briefly mentioned the family they had in Denali, Esme's sister, Carmen, and her husband Eleazar, and their daughters, Irina, Kate, and Tanya.

"I see you've been bragging again, Edward." Tanya said with a smile. Her and Edward stared at each other in silence.

Edward's face hardened, and he turned to me. "Why don't you go warm up by the fire? I'm sure that Emmett and I would love a little time to catch up with Tanya." He finished with a small smile, and I nodded slowly.

"Uh, sure. I'll send Emmett right over. If I don't see you again, it was nice meeting you Tanya." I extended my hand in a little wave, not sure if I should shake her hand. Tanya gave me a tight, disdainful smile. I turned away, hoping I hadn't said something to offend her.

Kelly was over by the fireplace, laughing at something Emmett had just said. Kelly knocked him with her shoulder, and Emmett tugged playfully on the end of her ponytail.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said with a wink at my cousin, "but your cousin Tanya just showed up and Edward thought it'd be nice if you three caught up?"

Emmett's face instantly clouded, his hand going to his pocket for his cell phone. He pressed a few buttons and studied it for a moment, then smiled at Kelly, whose breath audibly caught in her throat. "Sorry Angel, family stuff. You know how cousins are." Emmett tilted his head toward me.

"You mean forever interrupting perfect moments? Totally." Kelly teased, patting the seat next to her. "Cop a squat dear cousin."

Emmett left, leaving Kelly and I in silence.

**oooo**

**Edward POV**

"What are you doing here? Is everybody alright?" I asked hurriedly, pulling Tanya out of the shop and onto the nearly deserted street.

"I'm here to ask you the same thing...imagine my surprise to show up and find you and Emmett in the company of two human girls. That's very...dangerous for them, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes. "If this about me leaving-"

Tanya huffed, pulling her arm from my loose grasp. "_Leaving_? You deserted me! Look, it's one thing to say "you know Tanya, you're the most beautiful creature I've ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes on, but I want to be a lonely, moping mess for the rest of eternity", but you didn't even give me that! You just left, up and left and this whole time I've been thinking, you know, maybe he just needs some time to think- and all along you've had a boner for a human."

"Now now children, let's mind our language. Five letter words are too much for Edward's virgin ears." Emmett closed the shop's door behind him. "And just what the hell are you doing here? Alice had no idea you were coming."

Tanya tossed her ringlets over her shoulder. "I wasn't planning on it, but I figured I'd stop in and say hello. We're family after all, are we not? And I just had to see first hand how you were getting along. Rosie's been staying with us, you know."

Emmett's eyes widened, and if he'd had a beating heart, I was sure, at that moment, it would've skipped a beat.

**Lyrics used from Speechless by The Veronicas. I really feel like this is a perfect song for Edward and Angela, but also works for Kelly and Emmett. **

**As always, thanks for reading and for any feedback- it's appreciated more than you know. **


	12. Chapter 12

_I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you_

_this is my kingdom come..._

"So," I said, turning to Angela, who was gazing into the fire, "Edward, huh?"

She smiled, blinking, and nodded. "That obvious, am I?"

"Ah well, no more than me."

She laughed. "Well, that's true enough. The only one more tripping over themselves around here is Emmett."

I shook my head. "I don't know about that. I'm not quite sure what, exactly, he wants. But we're having a good time...I like him. So I guess that's all that matters."

"I think it's more than that. He's been so sad, so depressed for the last few months...I wondered if he'd ever be happy again. But you, Kel, you've brought back the old Emmett."

"Do you know them well, then?"

Angela shook her head slowly. "Not as well as I'd like. Sometimes Alice eats lunch with me, and I have a few classes with both her and Edward- Edward and I have been paired on a few projects before, but we always just did our work in class and never took it home with us. Emmett has always been nice, of course, and he's really fun in gym if you get him on your dodge ball team. Rosalie..." Angela glanced uneasily at me, "she wasn't...the most approachable person. I think a lot of people, well, they didn't try to understand her. Or any of the Cullens, actually, which I think is awful because they're obviously amazing people."

I nodded vehemently. I couldn't argue that.

"So this chick just like, showed up out of the blue? I thought they were family?" I stood and turned to look out the front windows of the book store- Emmett and Edward were in deep conversation with a girl, (Tanya, Angela explained) who was clearly a vampire as well. Angela said Tanya was from Alaska, where Esme's sister lived. If they were indeed family to the Cullens, then most likely this girl followed the Cullens diet. At least, Angela hadn't said anything about glowing red eyes, something I'm sure would've caught her attention.

But what was taking so long? And why not bring Tanya in and introduce us? Emmett and Edward had not been shy about Angela and I meeting Jasper and Esme and Carlisle, so why would they be about a distant cousin?

Edward lifted his head and looked over, our eyes meeting through the glass. He said something to Emmett, who had his back to the store, but I saw Emmett visibly stiffen and Tanya glanced over at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Well I gather she was on her way to Forks, or probably was. She didn't say much to me. I don't think she liked me very much, actually."

Taking in the way Tanya kept looking up at Edward and how she kept moving closer to him, I gathered exactly why she wouldn't be very kind to Angela. "Family" was a loose term, I was sure, and Tanya and Edward had no real biological or legal relation.

A second later, Edward came through the doors. "Ready to head home? It's getting rather late." He checked his watch.

Angela nodded, and I could tell she was trying to fight a smile now that Edward was back inside. She pulled on her gloves and zipped her coat while I did the same. "Ready, Kelly?" She asked, though I'm sure she wasn't listening for my answer- Edward had taken her lightly by the hand and was pulling her from the shop.

Outside by the Vanquish, Emmett and Tanya weren't anywhere to be seen. They'd disappeared in a flash as I looked back at Angela during our conversation, and immediately I wondered if anything were wrong. I caught up with Edward and Angela, tugging on Edward's sleeve.

"Emmett is...?"

Edward helped Angela into the car, which had been started already- I could hear the music and feel the heat from it before he shut the passenger door. Then he turned to me, placing a hand on my elbow. "He's with Tanya. It's...family stuff. I'm sorry, I can't give you more explanation than that. He's asked me to make sure you get home safely."

Disappointment crept up my spine. I'd been looking forward to the drive home, Emmett next to me again, his smile just a glance away. But I understood family drama, and there was probably a whole new degree of dysfunction added to life when you were a vampire. Besides, Emmett and I were hardly close enough that he'd confide in me and even less where I'd earned the right to the indignation that he hadn't. I'd see him...at school tomorrow? I quizzically looked at Edward, who gave a noncommittal shrug as he opened the back passenger door for me.

**oooo**

**Emmett POV**

Through the trees I saw Kelly give one last look around the parking lot, then get in the car. Edward shut the door after her. Our eyes met and he gave a curt nod before getting into the car himself.

"See? She's perfectly safe. Honestly, look at you, carrying on like this! Like some common human." Tanya shook her head, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder.

"Say what you have to say and get lost." I muttered, facing her with my arms folded across my chest. I'd never been that fond of Tanya, she'd always been the bitchiest of everybody in Denali, and despite the life she led, she wasn't all that fond of humans. Not that it mattered- she was smart enough to never go against Elezar and Carlisle. She might prefer human blood, but she preferred her comfortable life with the protection our families offered even more.

"Ouch. Touchy, are we? Well, I just thought you should know...I think Rosie is cracking up. I mean, the way she was talking! She's hell bent on becoming a mother. Granted, she'd be a good one, but I suppose I just don't understand where she's coming from."

Rosie...that's what I used to call her, what I'd breathe heavily into her ear in the middle of the night, with her skin sliding against mine, and she'd moan for me, _beg_ for me, and I was always too happy to give her what she wanted...

I shook my head to clear it. Rosalie was gone, and I needed to accept that. Dwelling on the past only hurt me, and Alice had said it all before- if Rosalie truly loved me, I would've been enough. She never would've ever thought about leaving. And once she was gone, Alice had said, we all knew she wasn't coming back.

"She left me."

Tanya held her hands up. "So? People leave sometimes, Emmett. But they can always come back. Is time really an issue for either of you? Don't you love her?"

My throat tightened. Did I? Did I still love her, still want her? She'd abandoned me, chose something else, _wanted_ something else. I'd had months without her, to gain my footing again, and my life hadn't ended. I wasn't a zombie anymore, I wasn't weak and fragile, not like when she first walked away.

"I think your hesitation says it all. You just don't know, do you Emmett? You don't know if you want her back, and you don't know if you want that human. Oh sure, you want her _blood_; who doesn't? But does she mean to you what Rosie used to? How could she ever come close? Decades you had with her, and how long have you had with this girl? Who, might I say, is no great beauty- or even a beauty at all. Quite the bottom of the barrel, if you ask me."

"I'm not." I growled, and Tanya, with a satisfied smirk on her face, lifted her hands in surrender.

"My apologies, then. Well, I'd better be along, hadn't I? My sisters will wonder where I've gone- I was only supposed to go out hunting, you know. Although..." Tanya eyes darkened, "I have been in the market for something more...ah, satisfying, than our usual fare. Anything in Forks catch your fancy, lately? I'm simply _famished_."

I took a menacing step toward her, but Tanya, like Alice, possessed a litheness I'd never been able to match. "Ah, you do always provide good entertainment, don't you? Forget it- I have higher standards than your little orphan. Goodbye, Emmett. Give my love to Carlisle and Esme, won't you? Perhaps we'll meet again- sooner than you think." And she was gone, silence left in her wake.

I turned back to where the car had been, where Kelly had been. Knowing the she was no longer within my reach made me feel as empty as the parking lot was.

**oooo**

I left Edward and Angela on the porch, slamming the front door shut. Marlene was at yoga, and had left a note that she'd be going out for dinner and possibly a glass of wine with the rest of her class and would be back around ten. It was only eight, but dark outside, dark and...lonely.

I glared out the frosted panes of the door where I could make out the color of Angela's jacket. Well how wonderful that Angela had _her_ Cullen right now, but where was mine? Edward refused to answer any of my questions in the car, and had instead engaged Angela in a long-winded conversation about some book series I'd never heard of, and when I tried to interrupt with more questions about Tanya and the rest of her family, Edward had asked Angela about her plans for the upcoming science fair, and I might as well have been mute and invisible for all the attention either one of them paid me.

I hadn't dared to text or call Emmett- he'd given me his cell number of course, but I was already desperate enough, I didn't need to add phone-stalker to the list, as I was already making the mistakes so common to teenage girls when they found somebody they really liked. Or was I? I'd been interested in guys before, cute guys who were sweet, who I had a lot of fun with. I'd felt butterflies before, the anticipation of a kiss, the want of more than that. I may not have been the most experienced, but I'd had the awkward fumbling of first-time sex, and I did care about the guy- we'd been friends for years and had dated, albeit casually, for some time before we took that leap- helped along, of course, by the questionable contents of red Solo cups that were to be found at most high school parties.

So I wasn't entirely virginal, and actually it seemed I only was in the intensity of my feelings for Emmett. I may have liked other guys, may have felt nervous and tried to be flirty with them, but that was nothing to what I felt with Emmett. He could make me free fall, could take my breath away. He made me laugh, made me feel like it was all going to be okay- even if logically I knew it would be a long time before my life was in one piece again. But that was the beauty of it all- Emmett brought out the one thing in myself that I had stopped believing was possible, that even existed at all. He brought out hope.

I sighed, rubbing my temples, suddenly exhausted. I needed a hot shower, a sleeping pill, and my pillow. I'd see Emmett tomorrow, even if I had to go to the Cullen's house, I'd at least make sure everything was okay, since Edward was useless at the moment. I thought of the way Angela lit up in his presence- okay, not _entirely_ useless. But as he wasn't the one making me gaga, I was still irritated with him.

Grabbing my pajamas, I locked myself in the bathroom and started the shower.

Twenty minutes later, I felt clean and refreshed, and decided it was time for lights out. Back in my room, I stood in the doorway for a solid minute as I saw the box on my bed. It was a black box, rectangular. I opened it, my eyes widening.

Inside the box were pair of red and black running shoes- specifically, Salomon XT S-Lab 5 shoes. They were beautiful- beautiful and perfect and the kind of shoes a cross country runner from upstate New York could only hope for. The last time I'd checked around for prices, I'd found the cheapest pair for 300 bucks.

I lifted the shoes out of the tissue paper, a slim note card falling out. It read, _sleep tight, Angel._ I couldn't help but smile at that. When had Emmett got these? And how had he known my shoe size anyway? Surely Alice had told him- maybe she'd asked Angela. Or maybe vampires were really good at guessing shoe sizes. If Emmett had been here, why hadn't he stayed? Holding the box to my chest, I rushed out of my room, expecting and hoping at the same time, to see Emmett in the living room, but it was still dark, as was the kitchen. I opened the front door, Angela and Edward in the same position I'd left them in. Only Edward heard the door open, and his eyebrow raised at the box in my arms.

_You?_ I thought, wondering if Edward had had the shoes in his possession all along. He shook his head.

_Him._

Edward nodded.

_But why-_

Edward held up a silencing hand, indicating Angela, who was still talking, staring out off the porch.

I rolled my eyes and went back in the house, shutting the door silently behind me.

**oooo**

My alarm blared, pulling me from the black depths of dreamless sleep. It was six, still dark out, quiet. The perfect setting for a much needed run. I had to start breaking in my new shoes, didn't I?

As laced them up, I couldn't help but think about where they'd come from. If Emmett had put them in my room, why hadn't he waited for me? They hadn't been there before I'd showered, and my window had been shut tight. Either Angela and Edward had let him in and he'd left quickly, or he'd come in through the window, then back out again without bothering to say goodnight. Had I overstepped some boundaries I didn't know existed last night? Said something repulsive? Pushed too far with the vampire thing? Edward hadn't seemed to mind, but had Emmett?

I didn't need this right now. I needed to focus. Losing myself in physical exertion would help, if only for a while. At least until I could see Emmett again. In the kitchen, I mixed myself up an instant breakfast smoothie, adding a few chocolate chips to help with the taste, and slugged it while I put on my jacket and found my iPod. I definitely needed something to get my blood pumping, maybe not anything angry but something I could get a rhythm with. When the appropriate song had been located, I took a deep breath, pausing to stretch out for a bit, then opening the door quietly I stepped out onto the porch.

The air was damp, the stairs and street beyond the yard wet. The grass was covered with frost, typical, Angela had told me, for the mornings this time of year. Once Spring was in full swing the mornings would warm up a bit, but I wasn't expecting much. Still, I'd run in worse. I zipped my jacket up, ready to head down the steps, when Emmett appeared. Caught off guard, I leaned back into the railing. "Jesus!" I said, "I thought I told you not to do that!"

"Sorry. Forgot you scare easy." He smirked at me, while I tried not to let my eyes follow the contour of his muscles in the clinging Under Armour top he wore.

It was so good to see him. Ugh, how pathetic was I? It'd been less then what, twelve hours since I last saw him? And already my pulse was beginning to race with his nearness. I hoped that one day I'd be able to, you know, behave like a normal human being around him, but I doubted that.

"So listen," I said, fumbling for a topic of conversation, "thanks for the shoes. I mean, I figured they were from you..." Lame segue, maybe, but how else was I going to bring up the previous evening? Not that I deserved an explanation, really. For all I really knew Emmett had taken me along to appease his brother, or maybe he just didn't want to be the third wheel with Angela and Edward mooning over each other.

Emmett's eyes- melted caramel, even in the semi-dark- searched mine, knowing what was on my mind as well as I did. I was an open book to him, from my pounding heart to my thoughts.

"It's...complicated. I know that sounds like a lame guy move. I get that. But my...ex...it's not easy to talk about. Can you understand that?" He came closer, to the bottom step.

Could I understand that? I _breathed_ that. I hadn't told a soul- not the string of therapists or social workers or foster families that had been shoved into my life following the death of my parents. Not even Angela and Marlene, who in the very short time I'd been in Forks, had become the people I trusted most. But that wasn't exactly true, was it? I trusted Emmett more- after all, he was the only person I had mentioned _that_ woman to. Why had I done that? Well, because Emmett was a vampire and-

Emmett was a vampire. And he hadn't hurt me. He _wouldn't_ hurt me. That fundamental difference, something I had instinctively known that day at the airport, the very first time I'd laid eyes on him, is what made me fall for him, initially anyway. After everything Emmett had, albeit unknowingly, given me, who was I to begrudge him this? He deserved his privacy, as he'd respected mine, and to be honest, I didn't want to know much about Rosalie anyway. The less I thought of her, the less insecure I felt. And the less angry I was.

I think this was one of the best parts of Emmett and I anyway, this ability to understand each other without having to say much, if anything.

"So, we just gonna sit around chewing the fat like a bunch of old ladies or are we gonna actually do some running?" Emmett said after a moment of silence.

"Huh, think you can keep up?" I said, giving him a sideways smile.

He rubbed his chin, a contemplative look on his face. "I'm not worried." He came up the second step, inching nearer to me. Raising his hand to my face, he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip. Every nerve in my upper body nearly exploded at that, and even though I bit my tongue and clenched my hands at my sides, I was pretty sure a small moan had escaped my mouth anyway.

"Just some chocolate." Emmett said, and I was completely mortified. I pulled my face back, turning away to furiously wipe my mouth on my sleeve.

Just then something cold and wet smacked into the back of my head. I whirled around, glaring at Emmett, who had his hands up in the air and was looking innocently up at the sky. Shaking the frost ball from my hair I cupped my hand along the top of the railing, collecting the slush that had accumulated there. "You're dead, pal." I said, launching the misshapen mass at him.

"Too late for that, angel." He had swooped around behind me in less than a blink, and before I could even turn to him he slapped me lightly on my shoulder. "Tag, you're it!" He said, bounding off the steps, turning to see if I were following him. I rolled my eyes, but didn't try to stop the smile that crept on my face as I took off across the grass after him.

**Lyrics from Demons by Imagine Dragons. Basically it's the perfect song for both couples, in my opinion. As ever, thanks for reading, and your feedback is appreciated! **


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